阅读说明：本技术 液体密封盒及送液方法 (Liquid sealing box and liquid feeding method ) 是由 堀井和由 中本竣 小粥教幸 户田泰广 岩堀公昭 于 2020-09-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种能够抑制进行按压的装置的负荷且抑制液体密封盒的内底面的破损的液体密封盒。该液体密封盒(100)包括：液体存放部(10),存放液体(90)；流路(20),供液体存放部(10)中存放的液体(90)流动；液体密封部(30),密封液体存放部(10)的液体(90)；其中,液体密封部(30)具有外周部(33)和相对于外周部(33)而言的中央侧的中央侧低强度部(31),被按压后中央侧低强度部(31)断裂,能使液体存放部(10)的液体(90)向流路(20)流通。(The invention provides a liquid sealing box which can restrain the load of a pressing device and restrain the damage of the inner bottom surface of the liquid sealing box. The liquid sealed cartridge (100) includes: a liquid storage unit (10) that stores a liquid (90); a flow path (20) through which the liquid (90) stored in the liquid storage unit (10) flows; a liquid sealing section (30) that seals the liquid (90) in the liquid storage section (10); the liquid seal section (30) has an outer peripheral section (33) and a center-side low-strength section (31) on the center side with respect to the outer peripheral section (33), and when pressed, the center-side low-strength section (31) breaks, enabling the liquid (90) in the liquid storage section (10) to flow through the flow path (20).)

1. A liquid sealed cartridge, comprising:

a liquid storage unit that stores liquid;

a flow path through which the liquid stored in the liquid storage portion flows;

a liquid sealing portion that seals the liquid in the liquid storage portion;

wherein the liquid sealing portion has an outer peripheral portion and a center-side low-strength portion on a center side with respect to the outer peripheral portion, and the center-side low-strength portion is broken when pressed, so that the liquid in the liquid storage portion can flow through the flow path.

2. The fluid containment cartridge according to claim 1, wherein:

the center-side low-strength portion is provided at a center portion of the liquid seal portion.

3. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the liquid sealing portion includes, as viewed in a pressing direction, one side portion adjacent to one side of the center-side low-strength portion and another side portion adjacent to the other side of the center-side low-strength portion;

the one side portion and the other side portion are continuous from an outer peripheral portion of the liquid seal portion to the center side low-strength portion, and are deformed in a pressing direction by pressing.

4. The fluid containment cartridge according to claim 3, wherein:

the center-side low-strength portion is broken by the pressing and is placed by at least one of the one side portion and the other side portion.

5. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the central low-strength portion has a smaller thickness than the adjacent region.

6. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the center low-strength portion has a planar shape of at least one of a linear shape, a rectangular shape, a cross shape, and an elliptical shape when viewed in a direction in which the center low-strength portion is pressed.

7. The fluid containment cartridge according to claim 6, wherein:

the center side low-strength portion extends in the 1 st direction at the center portion of the liquid sealing portion,

the 1 st direction is along a liquid feeding direction of the liquid passing through the liquid sealing portion.

8. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the low-strength portion includes an outer peripheral side low-strength portion formed in the outer peripheral portion and different from the center side.

9. The fluid containment cartridge according to claim 8, wherein:

the center low-strength portion has a lower strength than the outer peripheral low-strength portion.

10. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

a cover portion opposite the liquid seal portion is also included.

11. The fluid containment cartridge according to claim 10, wherein:

the liquid sealing part has a pressure receiving surface pressed through the cover part;

the center low-strength portion is formed of a concave portion formed on a back side of the pressure receiving surface.

12. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the liquid sealing part is arranged on the upper side surface of the liquid storage part,

the length from the outer peripheral portion of the liquid seal portion to the center side low-strength portion is smaller than the depth from the liquid seal portion to the inner bottom surface of the liquid storage portion.

13. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

a disc-shaped main body portion having the liquid storage portion, the flow path, and the liquid sealing portion;

the liquid storage unit is disposed on a center side of the main body with respect to the flow path, and the liquid in the liquid storage unit flows into the flow path by rotating the main body.

14. The liquid tight cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the liquid sealing portion is provided integrally with the liquid storage portion.

15. A liquid feeding method of a liquid sealed cartridge including a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid and a liquid sealing portion for sealing the liquid storage portion, the liquid feeding method comprising the steps of:

pressing a center-side low-strength portion of the liquid seal portion to break the liquid seal portion with the center-side low-strength portion as a boundary;

and flowing the liquid from the liquid storage portion in which the central low-strength portion is broken.

16. The liquid feeding method according to claim 15, characterized in that:

in the step of pressing the center-side low-strength portion, one side portion and the other side portion are deformed in a pressing direction with respect to the center-side low-strength portion.

17. The liquid feeding method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that:

the center-side low-strength portion has a smaller thickness than a region adjacent to the center-side low-strength portion.

18. The liquid feeding method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that:

in the step of pressing the center-side low-strength portion, the vicinity of the center portion of the liquid seal portion is pressed by a pin-shaped pressing member via a cover portion that faces the liquid seal portion.

19. The liquid feeding method according to claim 18, characterized in that:

the liquid sealing part is arranged on the upper side surface of the liquid storage part;

in the step of pressing the center-side low-strength portion, the liquid seal portion is pressed through the cover portion from above the liquid seal portion to a position between the liquid seal portion and the inner bottom surface of the liquid storage portion.

20. The liquid feeding method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that:

the liquid storage unit is disposed on a center side of the liquid sealing cartridge with respect to the flow path;

in the step of flowing the liquid, the liquid seal cartridge is rotated so that the liquid in the liquid storage portion flows into the flow path through the pressed center-side low-strength portion.

21. The liquid feeding method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that:

the method further comprises, before the step of pressing the center-side low-strength portion, the steps of: and a step of moving at least one of the liquid storing portion, the main body portion in which the liquid sealing portion is formed, and a pressing member that presses the liquid sealing portion, so as to correspond a pressing position with respect to the liquid sealing portion.

22. The liquid feeding method according to claim 21, characterized in that:

in the step of associating the pressing positions, the pressing positions of the pressing members with respect to the center-side low-strength portion are associated by moving the main body portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a liquid sealed cartridge in which liquid is sealed and a liquid feeding method for transferring liquid in the liquid sealed cartridge.

Background

As shown in fig. 31, patent document 1 discloses a fine structure in which: a1 st hollow chamber 902 and a2 nd hollow chamber 903 separated from each other by a partition element 901, a covering element 904 covering the 1 st hollow chamber 902, a take-out chamber 905, and a pipe 906 connecting the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 and the take-out chamber 905. The 1 st hollow chamber 902 is filled with a liquid.

When a force is applied to the cover element 904, the 1 st end 907 of the partition element 901 is broken. The 2 nd end 908 of the partition element 901 forms a swingable hinge region. The 1 st end 907 of the partition element 901 is broken, and the liquid in the 1 st hollow chamber 902 flows into the 2 nd hollow chamber 903. Due to capillary forces, the liquid is transported to the conduit 906 and the take-out chamber 905.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2005-96866.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

In the microstructure of patent document 1, the partition element 901 is pressed in the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 having a minute space, and the 1 st end 907 of the partition element 901 is broken to open the partition element 901. In order to reliably break the 1 st end 907 of the partition element 901, the partition element 901 has flexibility, and therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently increase the depth of pressing of the pressing member that presses the partition element 901. However, since the height of the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 having a minute space is low, the partition element 901 may fall to the inner bottom surface of the 2 nd hollow chamber 903, and the partition element 901 may contact the inner bottom surface of the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 (see the dotted line portion of fig. 31).

When the partition element 901 is lowered to the inner bottom surface of the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 and the 1 st end of the partition element 901 comes into contact with the inner bottom surface of the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 (see the dotted line portion of fig. 31), the partition element 901 cannot be pressed again even if a pressing force is applied, and therefore, a load of a device to which the pressing force is applied may increase and the inner bottom surface of the 2 nd hollow chamber 903 may be damaged.

The invention aims to suppress the load of a pressing device and to suppress the breakage of the inner bottom surface of a liquid sealing box.

Means for solving the problems

To achieve the above object, as shown in fig. 1, a liquid sealed cartridge (100) of the present invention includes: a liquid storage unit (10) that stores a liquid (90); a flow path (20) through which the liquid (90) stored in the liquid storage unit (10) flows; a liquid sealing section (30) that seals the liquid (90) in the liquid storage section (10); the liquid seal section (30) has an outer peripheral section (33) and a center-side low-strength section (31) on the center side with respect to the outer peripheral section (33), and when the liquid seal section is pressed, the center-side low-strength section (31) breaks, and the liquid (90) in the liquid storage section (10) can flow through the flow path (20).

In the present specification, the "low-strength portion" refers to a portion of the liquid seal portion having a lower mechanical strength than portions other than the low-strength portion. In addition, "low mechanical strength" means a property of being easily broken by a pressing force in particular.

In the liquid sealing cartridge (100) of the present invention, as described above, the liquid sealing portion (30) is pressed and then fractured in a split manner to both sides with the low-strength portion (31) on the center side of the liquid sealing portion (30) being a boundary. Therefore, the radius (R) of the convoluted portion can be reduced by using both ends of the liquid seal portion (30) as the convoluted centers. As a result, the radius (R) of the convoluted portion can be reduced, and therefore, the pressing of the liquid seal section (30) can be completed before the liquid seal section (30) contacts the inner bottom surface (61) of the liquid seal cartridge (100), or even when the liquid seal section (30) contacts the inner bottom surface (61), the increase in pressing force can be suppressed more than before. As a result, the load of the pressing device can be suppressed, and the breakage of the inner bottom surface (61) of the liquid sealing case (100) can be suppressed.

As shown in fig. 1, a liquid feeding method according to the present invention is a liquid feeding method for a liquid sealed cartridge (100) including a liquid storage section (10) for storing a liquid (90) and a liquid sealing section (30) for sealing the liquid storage section (10), and includes the steps of: pressing down the center-side low-strength portion (31) of the liquid seal portion (30) to break the center-side low-strength portion (31); and a step of flowing the liquid (90) from the liquid storage section (10) in which the center-side low-strength section (31) has been broken.

In the liquid feeding method of the present invention, as in the above invention, the liquid sealing portion (30) can be ruptured in a split manner to both sides by pressing the liquid sealing portion with the center low-strength portion (31) as a boundary. As a result, the radius (R) of the convoluted portion of the liquid seal (30) accompanying the pressing can be reduced. As a result, the radius (R) of the convoluted portion can be reduced, and therefore, the pressing of the liquid seal section (30) can be completed before the liquid seal section (30) contacts the inner bottom surface (61) of the liquid seal cartridge (100), or even when the liquid seal section (30) contacts the inner bottom surface (61), the increase in pressing force can be suppressed more than before. As a result, the load of the pressing device can be suppressed, and the breakage of the inner bottom surface (61) of the liquid sealing case (100) can be suppressed.

Effects of the invention

The invention can restrain the load of a pressing device and the damage of the inner bottom surface of a liquid sealing box.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a liquid sealed cartridge, which is used to describe before unsealing (A), when unsealing (B), and after unsealing (C), respectively;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a liquid feeding method;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a liquid sealed cartridge when liquid is fed by centrifugal force;

FIG. 4 is a view showing configuration examples (A) to (F) of the liquid seal portion;

FIG. 5 is a view showing other configuration examples (A) to (E) of the liquid seal portion;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a first specific configuration example of the liquid seal portion 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan view (A) of the liquid seal portion shown in FIG. 6, viewed from the back side, and a plan view (B) of the liquid seal portion shown in FIG. 6, viewed from the pressure receiving surface side;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the fluid seal of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 800-800 of FIG. 7 (A);

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 801-801 in FIG. 7 (A);

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a2 nd concrete configuration example of the liquid seal portion;

FIG. 12 is a plan view (A) of the liquid seal part of FIG. 11 viewed from the back side and a plan view (B) of the liquid seal part of FIG. 11 viewed from the pressure receiving side;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the fluid seal of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 802-802 of FIG. 12 (A);

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line 803-803 of FIG. 12 (A);

FIG. 16 is a view showing a structure example 1 relating to a cross-sectional shape of a liquid seal portion;

FIG. 17 is a view showing a structure example 2 relating to a cross-sectional shape of a liquid seal portion;

FIG. 18 is a view showing a structure example 3 relating to a cross-sectional shape of a liquid seal portion;

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a specific example of the structure of the liquid sealed cartridge;

FIG. 20 is an oblique view showing details of a detecting unit using a liquid-tight cartridge;

FIG. 21 is an oblique view of the detecting device in a state where the cover is closed;

FIG. 22 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal structure of the detecting unit;

FIG. 23 is a view showing the positions of the pressing portion, the imaging portion, and the photodetector with respect to the cartridge;

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing the relationship between each component of the detection device and the control unit;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the detecting means;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart for explaining a liquid feeding process of the detection device;

fig. 27 is a schematic view of a state in which a liquid sealing portion is arranged directly below a pressing portion;

fig. 28 is a schematic view of a state in which the pressing member presses the liquid sealing portion;

fig. 29 is a schematic view of a state in which the pressing member releases the sealing of the liquid sealing portion;

FIG. 30 is a schematic view showing a state in which liquid feeding is performed after releasing the seal;

fig. 31 is a diagram for explaining a conventional technique.

Detailed Description

Embodiments will be described below based on the drawings.

(outline of liquid seal Box)

The liquid sealing cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1.

The liquid sealing cartridge 100 is a container forming a space capable of containing the liquid 90 therein. The liquid sealing cartridge 100 can seal the liquid 90 contained therein. The liquid sealing cartridge 100 can release the sealing of the liquid 90 stored inside by an operation from the outside of the cartridge. By releasing the seal, the liquid 90 in the liquid sealed cartridge 100 can be transferred to another portion in the cartridge or to the outside of the cartridge.

The outer shape of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 is not particularly limited. The liquid sealed cartridge 100 has, for example, a plate shape.

The liquid sealing cartridge 100 includes at least one liquid storage portion 10, at least one flow path 20, and at least one liquid sealing portion 30.

The liquid storage portion 10 stores liquid 90. That is, the liquid storage section 10 is a space having a volume capable of storing a certain amount of the liquid 90. The liquid storage section 10 is defined by an inner upper side surface, an inner bottom surface, and an inner side surface. The liquid storage portion 10 stores liquid 90 in advance. The liquid storage section 10 may be in an empty state when the liquid sealed cartridge 100 is manufactured, and the liquid sealed cartridge 100 may be filled with the liquid 90 by a user.

The flow path 20 allows the liquid 90 stored in the liquid storage section 10 to flow. The flow path 20 is a hollow tubular element through which the liquid 90 can flow. The flow path 20 communicates with the liquid storage unit 10 at least in a state where the sealing of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 is released. Before the seal is released, the flow path 20 can be divided in a non-communicating state with the liquid storage section 10 by the liquid seal section 30. The flow path 20 includes, for example, a1 st end connected to the liquid storage unit 10 via the liquid seal unit 30, and a2 nd end connected to a space to which the liquid 90 is transferred or the outside of the liquid seal cartridge 100.

The liquid sealing portion 30 seals the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10. The liquid sealing portion 30 prevents the liquid 90 from flowing from the liquid storage portion 10 into the flow path 20. For example, the liquid sealing portion 30 blocks the liquid storage portion 10 and the flow path 20 at a connection portion between the liquid storage portion 10 and the flow path 20. One or a plurality of liquid seal portions 30 are provided for 1 liquid storage portion 10.

The liquid seal portion 30 can be unsealed and irreversible. Specifically, the liquid seal portion 30 is pressed, and a part of the liquid seal portion 30 is broken by the pressing force. The sealing is released by the breakage of the liquid seal portion 30. For example, the liquid 90 can be circulated through the broken portion of the liquid seal portion 30. In this specification, the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10 can be circulated by breaking a part of the liquid seal portion 30, which is referred to as "unsealing".

The liquid sealing cartridge 100 includes a main body 50 in which the liquid storage 10, the flow path 20, and the liquid sealing 30 are formed. The main body 50 is made of, for example, a resin material. Resin material such as COP (cyclic Olefin polymer) can be used. The liquid storage section 10 and the flow path 20 are formed by a recess, a groove, or the like formed in the main body 50. The recess, groove, or the like formed in the main body portion 50 may be covered with the base film 60, so that the liquid storage portion 10 and the flow path 20 are constructed as an internal space of the liquid sealing cartridge 100. The base film 60 is made of, for example, a resin material. Resin material such as COP (cyclic Olefin polymer) can be used. The base film 60 constitutes an inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid storage section 10. The outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 is supported by the main body portion 50.

In the example of fig. 1, the liquid sealed cartridge 100 further includes a hood portion 40 opposite the liquid sealing portion 30. The cover portion 40 covers the liquid seal portion 30. When the liquid seal portion 30 is unsealed, the cover portion 40 prevents the liquid 90 from flowing out of the liquid seal cartridge 100. When the liquid sealing portion 30 is opened, an external force is applied to the liquid sealing portion 30 from the outside of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 through the cover portion 40. Therefore, the cover 40 can be deformed by an external force, so that the pressing member 361 can press the liquid seal portion 30 through the cover 40. The cover 40 is, for example, a film-like member, and is formed of an elastically deformable material such as an elastomer or rubber. The cover 40 is, for example, a film formed of a polyurethane elastomer. When the main body portion 50 is elastically deformable, the liquid seal portion 30 can be pressed from the outside of the liquid seal cartridge 100 through the main body portion 50, and therefore, the cover portion 40 does not need to be separately provided.

To unseal the liquid sealing portion 30, a pressing force is applied to the liquid sealing portion 30 from the outside of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 via the pressing member 361. At this time, the pressing member 361 first presses the cover 40 against the liquid seal portion 30 to elastically deform the cover. The pressing member 361 abuts against the liquid seal portion 30 through the cover portion 40. The pressing member 361 moves in a direction of pressing the liquid seal portion 30, and breaks the liquid seal portion 30, thereby releasing the seal of the liquid seal portion 30. The pressing member 361 has, for example, a rod-like shape and is moved by a pressing device. The pressing device includes a driving source for moving the pressing member 361, such as a motor, a voice coil, a spring, and a battery.

In the present embodiment, the liquid seal portion 30 includes an outer peripheral portion 33 and a central low-strength portion 31 on the central side with respect to the outer peripheral portion 33. When the liquid seal portion 30 is pressed, the center low-strength portion 31 is broken, and the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10 can flow through the flow path 20.

Specifically, the liquid seal portion 30 includes a central low-strength portion 31 and a base portion 32, which is a portion other than the low-strength portion. The central low-strength portion 31 has lower mechanical strength than the base portion 32. That is, when a pressing force for unsealing acts on the liquid sealing portion 30, the center low-strength portion 31 is more likely to break than the base portion 32. The central low-strength portion 31 requires less external force to break the central low-strength portion 31 than the base portion 32.

For example, as shown in fig. 1, the central low-strength portion 31 is thinner than the base portion 32. For example, the center low-strength portion 31 is made of a material having a lower mechanical strength than the material of the base portion 32. For example, the center low-strength portion 31 has a hollow interior, and the center low-strength portion 31 has a structure having a density lower than that of the base portion 32.

The center low-strength portion 31 is disposed on the center side of the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30, and the base portions 32 are disposed on both sides of the center low-strength portion 31. That is, the base portion 32 is located between the center low-strength portion 31 and the outer peripheral portion 33. Therefore, as shown in fig. 1 (a), when the liquid seal portion 30 is pressed through the cover portion 40, the center low-strength portion 31 is broken as shown in fig. 1 (B). The center low-strength portion 31 is broken, and the liquid seal portion 30 is ruptured with the center low-strength portion 31 as a boundary. That is, the central side ends of the base portions 32 on both sides of the central low-strength portion 31 are spaced apart from each other. Due to the pressing force, the base portions 32 on both sides of the center low-strength portion 31 are pressed in directions away from each other like a double door.

As shown in fig. 1 (C), after the pressing force is applied, the liquid sealing portion 30 is formed with a through hole TH that allows the liquid storage portion 10 to communicate with the outside of the liquid storage portion 10. The sealing by the liquid sealing portion 30 is released by forming the through hole TH. In this manner, the liquid sealing portion 30 can be broken by the center low-strength portion 31 to allow the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10 to flow through the flow path 20.

The base portions 32 on both sides of the center low-strength portion 31 are pressed open by the pressing members 361 with the center low-strength portion 31 as a boundary. The base portions 32 on both sides turn around the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. Therefore, the radius R of gyration of the base portion 32 is about half of the entire width W of the liquid seal portion 30. Therefore, the depth of the pressing member 361 required to release the sealing of the liquid sealing portion 30 is smaller than when the entire liquid sealing portion 30 is rotated around the one end of the entire wide width W (that is, when the rotation radius is the entire wide width W, see fig. 31).

(Effect of liquid seal Box)

As described above, in the liquid seal cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, the liquid seal portion 30 is pressed and then fractured in a split manner on both sides with the center low-strength portion 31 of the liquid seal portion 30 as a boundary. Therefore, the radius R of the convoluted portion can be reduced with both ends of the liquid seal portion 30 as the convolute center. Accordingly, since the radius R of the convoluted portion can be reduced, the pressing of the liquid seal portion 30 can be completed before the liquid seal portion 30 contacts the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid seal cartridge 100, or even in the case where the liquid seal portion 30 contacts the inner bottom surface, the increase in the pressing force can be suppressed more than in the conventional case. As a result, the load of the pressing device can be suppressed, and the breakage of the inner bottom surface of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 can be suppressed.

In the configuration including the cover portion 40 facing the liquid seal portion 30, the liquid seal portion 30 is pressed through the cover portion 40 with the cover portion 40 covering the liquid seal portion 30, so that the liquid seal portion 30 can be unsealed without causing liquid leakage. At this time, although the cover portion 40 may be damaged if the depth of depression during pressing is large, in the present embodiment, the depth of depression during pressing can be made small, and therefore, the damage of the cover portion 40 can be suppressed as well as the inner bottom surface 61.

(additional Structure of liquid seal Box)

In the example of fig. 1, the liquid seal portion 30 includes, as viewed in the pressing direction, one side portion 32a adjacent to one side of the center-side low-strength portion 31 and the other side portion 32b adjacent to the other side of the center-side low-strength portion 31. The one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are part of the base portion 32.

As shown in fig. 1 (B) and 1 (C), the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32B continue from the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 to the center side low-strength portion 31, and are deformed in the pressing direction by the pressing. The one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are not completely broken at the outer peripheral portion 33, but are plastically deformed so as to swirl around the outer peripheral portion 33.

Thus, even if the center low-strength portion 31 breaks, the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are held in a state of being continuous with the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. Here, after the fracture is separated from the liquid sealing portion 30, the separated portion may fall off to the liquid storage portion 10 or the flow path 20, and the liquid feeding may be hindered depending on the position of the fall-off. In contrast, the separation of the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b from the liquid seal portion 30 can be suppressed. In the liquid sealing cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b may be partially broken as long as the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are not completely separated.

In the example of fig. 1 (B), the center-side low-strength portion 31 is broken by the pressing and is placed on at least one of the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32B. This prevents the center low-strength portion 31 from breaking and separating from the liquid seal portion 30, not only the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32 b.

(liquid feeding method)

Next, a liquid feeding method of the present embodiment will be explained. The liquid feeding method of the present embodiment is a liquid feeding method of a liquid sealed cartridge 100 including a liquid storage portion 10 for storing a liquid 90 and a liquid sealing portion 30 for sealing the liquid storage portion 10.

As shown in fig. 2, the liquid feeding method of the present embodiment includes at least the following steps S1 and S2. (S1) the center low-strength portion 31 of the liquid seal part 30 is pressed and broken at the center low-strength portion 31. (S2) the liquid 90 is flowed from the liquid storage section 10 in which the center low-strength portion 31 has been broken.

In step S1, the pressing member 361 is moved to press the center low-strength portion 31 of the liquid seal portion 30. By the pressing, the center low-strength portion 31 is broken. The liquid seal portion 30 is broken by the liquid seal portion 30 being split at the center side low-strength portion 31. Therefore, the base portions 32 on both sides of the center low-strength portion 31 are separated, and the through holes TH are formed at the broken portions. Due to the pressing force, the base portions 32 on both sides of the center low-strength portion 31 are pressed in directions away from each other like a double door. The details of step S1 are as described in fig. 1 for the liquid sealed cartridge 100.

In step S2, an external force is applied to the liquid 90 in the liquid storage unit 10, and the liquid 90 flows from the liquid storage unit 10 in which the center low-strength portion 31 has been broken. The external force acting on the liquid 90 is not particularly limited. The external force acting on the liquid 90 may be, for example, gravity, pressure, centrifugal force, or the like. The gravity causes the liquid to flow from the liquid storage portion 10 to a position lower than the liquid storage portion 10 in the liquid sealed cartridge 100, or from the liquid storage portion 10 to the outside of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. For example, the liquid 90 is moved from the liquid storage portion 10 to an arbitrary position by supplying air pressure or water pressure to the liquid sealing cartridge 100 from an external pressure source.

In the example of fig. 3, the liquid storage unit 10 is disposed on the center side of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 with respect to the flow path 20. In step S2 in which the liquid 90 is caused to flow, the liquid seal cartridge 100 is rotated so that the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10 flows into the flow path 20 through the pressed center low-strength portion 31 (see fig. 1).

That is, after the seal is released in step S1, the liquid sealed cartridge 100 is rotated about the central axis 101, and a centrifugal force is applied to the liquid 90 in the liquid storage unit 10. Thereby, the liquid 90 moves from the liquid storage section 10 to the flow path 20 on the outer peripheral side.

(Effect of liquid feeding method)

In the liquid feeding method of the present embodiment, as described above, the liquid sealing portion 30 can be ruptured in a split manner on both sides with the center low-strength portion 31 thereof as a boundary by pressing. As a result, the radius of the convoluted portion of the liquid seal portion 30 accompanying the pressing can be reduced. Accordingly, since the radius of the convoluted portion can be reduced, the pressing of the liquid seal portion 30 can be completed before the liquid seal portion 30 comes into contact with the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid seal cartridge 100, or even in the case where the liquid seal portion 30 comes into contact with the inner bottom surface 61, the increase in the pressing force can be suppressed more than in the conventional case. As a result, the load of the pressing device can be suppressed, and the breakage of the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 can be suppressed.

Further, according to the solution of feeding liquid by rotation shown in fig. 3, the liquid 90 can be fed by rotating only the liquid seal cartridge 100.

(structural example of liquid seal Box)

In the example of fig. 3, the liquid sealing cartridge 100 has a disk-shaped main body portion 50 in which the liquid storage portion 10, the flow path 20, and the liquid sealing portion 30 are formed. The liquid storage section 10 is disposed on the center side of the main body 50 with respect to the flow path 20. The liquid seal cartridge 100 rotates the main body 50 and causes the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10 to flow into the flow path 20. Thus, the liquid 90 can be fed only by rotating the liquid sealing cartridge 100.

The liquid storage section 10 is provided with a radially outer liquid seal section 30A and a radially inner liquid seal section 30B. The radially inner liquid seal portion 30B is connected to the air hole 102. The radially outer liquid seal portion 30A is connected to the flow path 20. By unsealing the liquid sealing portions 30A and 30B, the liquid 90 in the liquid storage portion 10 flows into the flow path 20 at the time of liquid feeding, and then air flows into the liquid storage portion 10 from the air hole 102. As a result, the inside of the liquid storage section 10 is prevented from becoming negative pressure, and the movement of the liquid 90 is prevented from being hindered.

The liquid sealing portion 30 is provided integrally with the liquid storage portion 10. Thus, the number of components of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 can be reduced as compared with the case where the liquid sealing portion 30 and the liquid storage portion 10 are provided as non-integral components. Further, no gap is formed between the components, and therefore the liquid 90 can be reliably sealed.

(example of the Structure of the liquid seal portion)

Next, a configuration example of the liquid seal unit 30 will be described with reference to fig. 4 to 18.

Plane shape and arrangement of low-strength portion

First, an example of the shape and arrangement of the low-strength portion on the surface of the liquid sealing portion 30 in plan view will be described. In fig. 4 and 5, hatching is given to the low-strength portion for convenience of explanation, and the base portion 32 and one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b, which are portions of the base portion 32, are illustrated as regions without hatching.

In the example of fig. 4 (a) to 4 (F), the center low-strength portion 31 is provided in the center portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30. Thereby, the liquid seal portion 30 is broken so as to be divided into two sides 2 with the center portion 34 as a boundary. Therefore, the radius of the turning portion having both ends of the liquid seal portion 30 as turning centers can be made uniform and minimized. Here, the central portion 34 is not limited to the configuration provided at the center of the liquid sealing portion 30, and may be provided at the center side with respect to the outer peripheral portion 33, and is not particularly limited.

A base portion 32 is formed around the center low-strength portion 31. In order to break the center-side low-strength portion 31 so that the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are split in both sides with the center-side low-strength portion 31 as a boundary, the center-side low-strength portion 31 is preferably shaped to have a directivity in a specific direction, instead of an isotropic shape such as a perfect circle.

In the example of fig. 4 (a) to 4 (F), the center low-strength portion 31 has at least one of a linear shape, a rectangular shape, a cross shape, and an elliptical shape in plan view from the direction of being pressed. This causes the center low-strength portion 31 to fracture in a predetermined direction, and thus the fracture direction of the center low-strength portion 31 can be easily controlled. As a result, the through-holes TH are prevented from being unexpectedly broken when opening the package, and the variation in the shape of the through-holes TH caused by the breakage can be prevented.

In fig. 4 (a), the center low-strength portion 31 has a linear or rectangular shape. The pressing area PA is pressed by the pressing member 361. The pressing region PA is a region where the pressing force from the pressing member 361 directly acts, and is a region that is in contact with the pressing member 361 via the cover 40 during pressing. The center low-strength portion 31 is at least partially included in the pressing region PA. Due to the pressing force, the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are separated from each other at the center low-strength portion 31 as a boundary, and the through hole TH is formed.

In fig. 4 (B), the center low-strength portion 31 has a cross shape. When the pressing area PA is pressed, the center low-strength portion 31 in the cross shape is fractured in the longitudinal or transverse direction of fig. 4 (B). Alternatively, the center low-strength portion 31 is broken in a cross-split manner. When the central low-strength portion 31 is fractured into a cross shape, the base portions 32 at the four corners of the cross shape are separated as 4 pieces to form through holes TH.

In fig. 4 (C), the center low-strength portion 31 has an elliptical shape. At this time, as in fig. 4 (a), the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are separated from each other at the center low-strength portion 31 as a boundary, and the through hole TH is formed.

In fig. 4 (a) to (C), the center low-strength portion 31 is housed inside the pressing region PA. In fig. 4 (D), the center low-strength portion 31 extends from the center portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30 to the outside of the pressing region PA. The center low-strength portion 31 extends to the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion 33. Thus, the through-holes TH can be formed larger, and therefore, the remaining amount of the liquid 90 due to the liquid seal portion 30 after the unsealing becoming an obstacle can be reduced when the liquid 90 is transferred. Further, the larger the center low-strength portion 31 is, the smaller the pressing force can be used to unseal, and therefore, the load on the device that performs pressing can be effectively suppressed.

In fig. 4 (E), the center low-strength portion 31 extends in the 1 st direction a1 at the center portion 34 of the liquid sealing portion 30. Then, the 1 st direction a1 is along the liquid feeding direction of the liquid 90 passing through the liquid sealing portion 30.

Thereby, the center low-strength portion 31 is broken in the liquid feeding direction. Therefore, the through-hole TH can be formed to a position near the end EP of the liquid sealing portion 30 in the liquid feeding direction. Therefore, when the liquid seal portion 30 after the unsealing forms a wall for liquid accumulation, if the through-holes TH are formed to a position close to the end portion EP, the amount of liquid accumulation can be reduced. That is, the remaining amount of the liquid 90 due to the liquid seal portion 30 can be reduced at the time of liquid feeding, which is preferable.

As shown in fig. 4 (F), the 1 st direction a2 of the center low-strength portion 31 may be different from the liquid feeding direction.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the center-side low-strength portion 31 may be formed at a position eccentric from the center portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30 toward the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. In fig. 5 (a), the center low-strength portion 31 is formed eccentrically toward the end EP in the liquid feeding direction of the liquid seal portion 30. In this case, similarly to fig. 4 (E), the remaining amount of the liquid 90 at the time of liquid feeding can be reduced, which is preferable.

As shown in fig. 5 (B), the liquid seal portion 30 may be provided with a center-side low-strength portion 31-1 and an outer-peripheral-side low-strength portion 31-2 formed in the outer peripheral portion 33 and different from the center-side low-strength portion 31-1. In fig. 5 (B), the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 are included.

When the liquid seal portion 30 is pressed, the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 are broken, and the base portion 32 between the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 is also narrowed in width, so that the breakage is facilitated. Thus, when the liquid seal is opened, the through holes TH of the central low-strength portion 31-1 and the through holes TH of the outer low-strength portion 31-2 are connected to each other, and a large through hole TH extending from the central portion 34 to the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 in the liquid feeding direction is formed. Therefore, the residual amount of the liquid 90 due to the liquid sealing portion 30 after the unsealing can be reduced.

In the state before fracture, the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 are separated with the base portion 32 interposed therebetween, and therefore, the mechanical strength when the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 are not directly pressed can be ensured. Therefore, unexpected opening of the bag due to external impact can be suppressed.

In the example of fig. 5 (C), the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 are formed in line in the liquid feeding direction. Thus, when the liquid seal is opened, the through holes TH of the central low-strength portion 31-1 and the through holes TH of the outer low-strength portion 31-2 are connected to each other, thereby forming large through holes TH extending from the central portion 34 to the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 in the liquid feeding direction. Therefore, the residual amount of the liquid 90 due to the liquid sealing portion 30 after the unsealing can be reduced.

In the example of fig. 5 (D), the center-side low-strength portion 31 is continuous and extends from the center portion 34 to the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. That is, the 1 central low-strength portion 31 integrally includes the 1 st portion 31A disposed in the central portion 34 and the 2 nd portion 31B along the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. This also enables formation of large through holes TH, thereby reducing the amount of the liquid 90 remaining. Further, the center low-strength portion 31 continues from one end to the other end of the liquid seal portion 30, and therefore, the seal can be easily released with a small pressing force.

In the low-strength portion, a portion having a relatively high strength and a portion having a relatively low strength may be provided. In the example of fig. 5 (E), the center low-strength portion 31-1 is lower in strength than the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2. For example, the thickness of the central low-strength portion 31-1 is smaller than the thickness of the outer low-strength portion 31-2. In fig. 5 (E), the difference in strength is represented by the difference in hatching. The central low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer low-strength portion 31-2 are lower in strength than the base portion 32.

The breaking sequence can be controlled by setting the distribution of the intensity like this. Thus, even if the pressing position of the center low-strength portion 31-1 varies due to, for example, a mechanical error or a dimensional error of the liquid seal cartridge 100, variation in the shape of the through-holes TH to be formed can be suppressed.

(concrete configuration example 1 of the liquid seal part)

Fig. 6 to 10 show one specific configuration example of the liquid seal portion 30.

In the 1 st concrete configuration example shown in fig. 6, the liquid sealing portion 30 has a circular planar shape. The center low-strength portion 31-1 is formed in a cross shape at the center portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30. The outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 is formed in the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. The outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 is formed in a circular shape surrounding the central portion 34. Base portion 32 is formed so as to surround central low-strength portion 31-1 inside outer low-strength portion 31-2. That is, the portion between the center low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 is the base portion 32.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the liquid seal portion 30 forms a part of the bottom surface of the flow path 20. The upper side opening of the flow path 20 is covered with a cover 40 provided on one side surface 51 of the main body 50.

As shown in fig. 7B and 8, the liquid seal portion 30 has a pressure receiving surface 35a that is pressed through the cover portion 40 (see fig. 9 and 10). The pressure receiving surface 35a is a surface of the liquid seal portion 30 on the cover portion 40 side. The liquid seal portion 30 has a convex portion 35c pressed by the pressing member 361. The convex portion 35c protrudes toward the hood 40. The convex portion 35c is formed in the central portion 34 of the liquid sealing portion 30. The portion of the pressure receiving surface 35a where the convex portion 35c is formed is the pressing area PA of the liquid seal portion 30. The protruding portion 35c protrudes toward the cover 40, and thus the pressing member 361 can press the liquid seal portion 30 through the cover 40 with a smaller pressing depth.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the liquid sealing portion 30 constitutes a part of the upper surface of the liquid storage portion 10. The bottom opening of the liquid storage section 10 is covered with a base film 60 provided on the other side surface 52 of the main body 50. As shown in fig. 7 (a) and 8, a non-penetrating recess 36 is formed in the back surface 35b of the liquid seal portion 30 opposite to the pressure receiving surface 35 a. As shown in fig. 9 and 10, in the liquid sealing portion 30, the thickness of the portion where the recess 36 is formed is small. The central low-strength portion 31-1 provided in the central portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30 is formed of a concave portion 36.

In this manner, the center low-strength portion 31-1 is constituted by the concave portion 36 formed on the back side of the pressure receiving surface 35 a. Here, when the concave portion 36 is on the pressure receiving surface 35a side (see fig. 16), if the center low-strength portion 31 is broken and the base portion 32 turns, the corner portions 36a (see fig. 16) of the concave portion 36 formed on the pressure receiving surface 35a come into contact with each other, and turning may be hindered. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 10, since the concave portion 36 is provided on the back side of the pressure receiving surface 35a, the corner portions 36a are turned in the direction of separation, and therefore, contact between the corner portions 36a can be prevented.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the center side low-strength portion 31-1 has a thickness t 1. Of the formation regions of the protruding convex portions 35c, the regions where the concave portions 36 are not formed are the base portions 32. The base portion 32 has a thickness t 2. The thickness t1 of the center low-strength portion 31 is smaller than the thickness t2 of the base portion 32.

In the example of fig. 9 and 10, the liquid seal portion 30 has an outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 in an outer peripheral portion 33. The outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 connects between the outer peripheral portion 33 and the convex portion 35 c. The outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 has a thickness t 3. The thickness t3 is smaller than the thickness t2 of the base portion 32.

In this way, the low-strength portions (31-1, 31-2) have a thickness smaller than that of the adjacent regions. Thus, the low-strength portion can be easily formed only by reducing the thickness of the liquid sealing portion 30.

(concrete configuration example 2 of liquid seal portion)

Fig. 11 to 15 show a2 nd specific configuration example of the liquid seal section 30.

In the 2 nd concrete configuration example shown in fig. 11, the liquid sealing portion 30 has a circular planar shape. The center low-strength portion 31-1 has a linear shape extending in the X direction. A pair of outer peripheral low-strength portions 31-2 are formed in the outer peripheral portion 33. The pair of outer peripheral low-strength portions 31-2 extend from the intersection of the extension line of the central low-strength portion 31-1 and the outer peripheral portion 33 to both sides in the circumferential direction. The center-side low-strength portion 31-1 and the pair of outer-peripheral-side low-strength portions 31-2 are closest in the X direction. The base portion 32 extends from the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 to the center low-strength portion 31-1 in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction.

When the pressing region PA is pressed, the low-strength portion 31-1 located at the center of the pressing region PA is first broken, and then the pair of outer-peripheral-side low-strength portions 31-2 are broken. In this process, the portion BA between the center-side low-strength portion 31-1 and the pair of outer-peripheral-side low-strength portions 31-2 in the X direction is broken, and the broken portion of the center-side low-strength portion 31-1 and each of the broken portions of the pair of outer-peripheral-side low-strength portions 31-2 are connected. As a result, after the opening, the base portion 32 is pushed in the Y direction by the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32 b.

In the specific configuration example 2, the configuration of the liquid seal portion 30 on the pressure receiving surface 35a side shown in fig. 12 (B) is the same as the specific configuration example 1 shown in fig. 7.

In the example of fig. 12 (a) and 13, a linear recess 36 is formed in the back surface 35b of the liquid sealing portion 30. The central low-strength portion 31-1 provided in the central portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30 is formed of a concave portion 36.

A pair of recesses 37 is formed on the back surface 35b of the liquid seal portion 30 along the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30. The pair of concave portions 37 extend in an arc shape. The pair of outer peripheral low-strength portions 31-2 formed in the outer peripheral portion 33 are formed by the pair of concave portions 37.

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, the center side low-strength portion 31-1 has a thickness t 5. The base portion 32 adjacent to the center low-strength portion 31-1 has a thickness t 6. The thickness t5 of the center low-strength portion 31-1 is smaller than the thickness t6 of the base portion 32.

In the example of fig. 14 and 15, the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 has a thickness t 7. The base portion 32 adjacent to the outer peripheral low-strength portion 31-2 in the X direction has a thickness t 8. Thickness t7 is less than thickness t 8. The thickness t8 is smaller than the thickness t6, and exhibits a certain degree of flexibility, and is connected to the main body 50 during unsealing, thereby functioning as a hinge.

As shown in fig. 15, the liquid seal portion 30 is provided on the upper surface of the liquid container 10, and the length R from the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 to the central low-strength portion 31-1 is smaller than the depth H from the liquid seal portion 30 to the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid container 10.

Thus, even if the range of the length R is maximally rotated with the outer peripheral portion 33 as the rotation center, the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid storage portion 10 is not contacted. Therefore, breakage of the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid storage unit 10 can be more reliably suppressed.

(sectional shape of Low Strength portion)

In the example of the 1 st and 2 nd embodiments, the concave portion 36 formed by the back surface 35b of the liquid sealing portion 30 constitutes the center-side low-strength portion 31-1, but is not limited thereto. In fig. 16, the center low-strength portion 31 is formed by a concave portion 36 formed on the pressure receiving surface 35a of the liquid seal portion 30 on the cover portion 40 side.

As described above, if the width of the recess 36 is narrow, when the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are turned, the corner portions 36a of the recess 36 formed on the pressure receiving surface 35a come into contact with each other, and turning may be hindered. Therefore, it is preferable to chamfer the corner 36a as shown in fig. 16 or to sufficiently widen the recess 36.

In the example of fig. 9, 10, 14, and 15, the liquid sealing part 30 has a plate-like shape parallel to one side surface 51 and the other side surface 52 of the main body part 50. Fig. 17 shows an example in which the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 is inclined.

In fig. 17, the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 is inclined toward the inner bottom surface 61 side of the liquid seal cartridge 100. Thus, the outer peripheral portion 33 of the liquid seal portion 30 is inclined to the back side in the pressing direction in advance, and therefore, the opening can be easily performed with a small pressing force (stroke).

In fig. 18, the pressure receiving surface 35a of the liquid seal portion 30 on the cover portion 40 side is inclined toward the inner bottom surface 61 side of the liquid seal cartridge 100. The pressure receiving surface 35a of the liquid seal portion 30 is inclined so as to approach the inner bottom surface 61 from the outer peripheral portion 33 side to the central portion 34 side. In fig. 18, the pressure receiving surface 35a is an inclined plane, but may be a curved surface. This makes it possible to concentrate the load on the center-side low-strength portion 31 of the center portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30 during pressing. Even if the pressing position of the pressing member 361 indicated by an arrow is slightly deviated from the central portion 34 of the liquid seal portion 30 due to an error or the like, the inclined pressure receiving surface 35a functions as a guide, and thus the pressing force can be reliably applied to the central low-strength portion 31.

(specific construction example of liquid seal Box)

Next, a specific configuration example of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 will be described.

The liquid sealed cartridge 100 shown in fig. 19 is provided in a detection device 300 (see fig. 20) for detecting light generated from a measurement sample containing a test substance, and is a cartridge for detecting light generated from the measurement sample.

The test substance is, for example, a substance contained in a sample collected from a human being as a subject. The sample is blood (whole blood, serum, or plasma), urine, tissue fluid, or other liquid sample, or a sample obtained by subjecting a collected liquid sample to a certain pretreatment, or the like. The sample contains a liquid as a main component and may contain a solid component such as a cell. The test substance may be, for example, a protein such as an antigen or an antibody, a peptide, a cellular or intracellular substance, or a nucleic acid such as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

The measurement sample contains a test substance and a substance that emits light. The test substance itself may be a substance that emits light. The measurement sample may be a mixture of the test substance and the reagent. The reagent emits light in accordance with the amount of the test substance, for example. The luminescence is, for example, chemiluminescence or fluorescence. The reagent may contain, for example, a labeling substance that specifically binds to the substance to be detected. The labeling substance may be a chemiluminescent substance or a fluorescent substance. For example, the labeling substance comprises an enzyme and the reagent comprises a luminescent substrate that reacts with the enzyme. The presence or absence of a test substance, the amount or concentration of the test substance, or the size or shape of a particulate test substance corresponding to a measurement item can be measured by detecting light generated from a measurement sample. The kind of the reagent to be mixed in the measurement sample differs depending on the measurement item. There may be a plurality of variations of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 for each measurement item. The liquid sealed cartridge 100 can measure a plurality of different measurement items.

The liquid sealed cartridge 100 is configured as a sample process cartridge that can perform a process of detecting a test substance in a sample by an antigen-antibody reaction. Then, the liquid 90, which is a reagent used for preparing the measurement sample, is stored in the liquid storage section 10 and sealed by the liquid sealing section 30A and the liquid sealing section 30B.

In the example of fig. 19, the liquid sealed cartridge 100 has a flat plate shape. The liquid seal cartridge 100 rotates about the rotation shaft 321. Specifically, the liquid seal cartridge 100 is a disk-shaped cartridge including a disk-shaped main body portion 50.

In the example of fig. 19, the main body 50 has a thickness that allows the heater 371, which will be described later, to easily adjust the temperature of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. For example, the thickness of the body portion 50 is several mm, specifically, about 1.2 mm. The diameter of the body portion 50 is several cm to ten-odd cm in diameter, for example, about 12 cm.

The liquid sealed cartridge 100 shown in fig. 19 has a process area 110 in which sample processing is performed inside the cartridge. In the example of fig. 19, the liquid sealed cartridge 100 has 1 processing region 110. In the example of fig. 19, the processing region 110 is formed as a region that is enlarged in a fan shape within a range of about 120 degrees from the center of the main body 50.

The liquid seal cartridge 100 has a flat plate shape that rotates about the rotation axis 321. The liquid sealing cartridge 100 has a hole 55 penetrating the body 50 at the center of the body 50. The liquid sealed cartridge 100 is provided in the detection apparatus 300 (see fig. 20) and the center of the hole 55 coincides with the center of the rotation shaft 321.

(treatment area)

The processing area 110 includes an inlet 111, a separating part 112, a recovering part 113, 6 chambers 121 to 126, flow paths 131 to 135, and 7 liquid storage parts 10. The liquid seal portions 30A and 30B are provided in the 7 liquid storage portions 10, respectively. The sample is injected into the guide inlet 111. The sample is a blood sample of whole blood collected from a subject.

The separation part 112, the recovery part 113, and the chambers 121 to 126 are space parts capable of storing liquid, respectively. The separation section 112, the recovery section 113, and the chambers 121 to 126 are divided by the wall section 53. The separating section 112, the collecting section 113, and the chambers 121 to 126 are arranged in the circumferential direction in the vicinity of the outer peripheral end of the main body 50.

The separation section 112 is connected to the inlet 111 via a flow path 131. The sample injected from the inlet 111 is transferred to the separation unit 112 through the flow channel 131 by centrifugal force generated by rotation of the liquid sealed cartridge 100.

The recovery unit 113 is disposed radially outward of the separation unit 112, and is connected to the separation unit 112 via a flow path 132. The samples flowing from the channel 131 into the separation section 112 are sequentially accumulated from the radially outer side by centrifugal force. After the sample accumulated in the separation section 112 reaches the flow path 132, the sample in an amount above the flow path moves to the collection section 113 by the action of centrifugal force. Thus, the sample stored in the separation section 112 is quantified to a fixed amount.

The sample in the separation section 112 is centrifugally separated into plasma, which is a liquid component, and blood cells, which is a solid component, and other non-liquid components, by centrifugal force generated by rotation of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The plasma separated in the separation section 112 moves to the channel 133 by capillary action. The inner diameter of the flow path 133 is constricted at the connection portion immediately before the chamber 121. Plasma fills the flow path 133 just prior to the chamber 121.

The channel 133 is connected to the chamber 121. When the plasma is filled in the channel 133, the plasma in the channel 133 is transferred to the chamber 121 after a centrifugal force is applied by the rotation of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. Due to the volume of the channel 133, a certain amount of plasma to be transferred to the chamber 121 is determined.

In the configuration example of fig. 19, the chambers 121 to 126 are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction and connected to each other via a flow path 134 extending in the circumferential direction. As described later, the test substances are sequentially transferred from one side (chamber 121 side) to the other side (chamber 126 side) between the chambers 121 to 126 through the flow paths 134. The reagent stored in the corresponding liquid storage unit 10 is transferred to each of the chambers 121 to 126 via the flow path 135.

The liquid containing the test substance is transferred to the chamber 121 through the flow path 133. The chamber 121 encloses magnetic particles MP. In the chamber 121, the test substance contained in the sample is a complex with the magnetic particles MP. Therefore, the chamber 121 and thereafter transfers the test substance bonded to the magnetic particles MP to another chamber through the flow path 134 by a combination of rotation of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 and a magnetic force.

The flow path 134 includes 6 radial regions 134a extending in the radial direction and an arc-shaped circumferential region 134b extending in the circumferential direction. The circumferential direction region 134b is connected to 6 radial regions 134 a. The 6 radial regions 134a are connected to the corresponding 6 chambers 121 to 126, respectively.

The 7 liquid storage units 10 are connected to the flow path 134 via radial flow paths 135. 5 liquid storage units 10 are provided, and 1 liquid storage unit is provided for each of the chambers 121 to 125. The 2 liquid storage portions 10 are provided in the chamber 126. The 7 liquid storage units 10 are arranged in a radial direction with respect to the corresponding chambers 121 to 126. A total of 7 liquid storage units 10 are disposed on the inner peripheral side of the liquid sealed case 100, and chambers 121 to 126 are disposed on the outer peripheral side of the liquid sealed case 100.

The liquid storage section 10 stores a liquid 90, i.e., a reagent. The liquid storage section 10 has 2 liquid seal sections 30A and 30B at both ends in the radial direction. After the liquid sealing portions 30A and 30B are opened, the reagent in the liquid storage portion 10 can flow to the flow path 135. After the liquid sealed cartridge 100 is rotated, the reagent is moved to the corresponding chambers 121 to 126 by centrifugal force.

Each liquid storage 10 previously stores a reagent that enables 1 measurement. That is, the liquid sealed cartridge 100 has the liquid storage section 10 in which a reagent capable of measuring a test substance 1 time is stored.

In the liquid sealed cartridge 100, after the magnetic particles MP are loaded with the test substance in the chamber 121, the test substance and the reagent are mixed in the respective chambers 122, 123, 124, and 125. The processing of the chambers 121 to 125 is set according to the inspection for detecting the material to be inspected. For example, the test substance and the labeling substance are bound by treatment with a reagent. The magnetic particles MP carrying the test substance and the labeling substance finally move to the chamber 126. In the chamber 126, the preparation of the luminescent assay sample is complete. The light generated from the measurement sample is detected by a photodetector 331 (see fig. 22) of the detection device 300.

In the example of fig. 19, 1 processing region 110 is formed in the main body portion 50. However, without being limited thereto, the processing regions 110 may be formed in 2 or more. For example, the main body 50 is divided into 3 equal parts at 120 degrees to form 3 processing regions 110.

In addition, the number and shape of the chambers and the flow paths are not limited to those shown in fig. 19. The configuration of each part of the processing area 110 is determined according to the content of the sample processing test performed in the processing area 110.

(liquid storage part and liquid seal part)

The detailed structure of the liquid storage section 10 and the liquid sealing section 30 will be described. In the liquid sealing cartridge 100 shown in fig. 19, the liquid storage portion 10 is provided on the center side of the main body portion 50. The liquid storage section 10 extends linearly in the radial direction. A liquid seal portion 30A and a liquid seal portion 30B are provided at the outer end and the inner end of the liquid storage portion 10 in the radial direction, respectively.

The radially inner end of the liquid storage portion 10 is connected to the air hole 115 via the liquid seal portion 30B. The air hole 115 opens to the outside of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The radially outer end of the liquid storage unit 10 is connected to the flow path 135 via the liquid seal unit 30A.

The flow path 135 extends in the radial direction. The inner end of the flow path 135 in the radial direction is connected to one of the liquid storage units 10 via the liquid seal unit 30A, and the outer end is connected to one of the chambers 121 to 126. In this manner, 1 liquid storage unit 10, 1 flow channel 135, and 1 chamber are arranged in order from the inner peripheral side in the radial direction of the main body 50.

After the 2 liquid seal portions 30A and 30B provided in the 1 liquid storage portion 10 are opened, the inner end of the liquid storage portion 10 communicates with the outside of the liquid seal cartridge 100, and the outer end communicates with the corresponding chamber via the flow path 135.

Due to the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the liquid sealed cartridge 100, the liquid 90 in the liquid storage unit 10 flows out through the liquid sealing unit 30A to the flow path 135, and flows into the chamber through the flow path 135. When the liquid 90 in the liquid storage unit 10 flows out, the air outside the cartridge flows in through the air hole 115 and the liquid seal portion 30B.

The liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B may have one of the various configurations described above. For example, the configuration examples shown in fig. 11 to 15 are used for the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B.

(outline of detection device)

Next, a specific configuration example of the detection device 300 that implements the detection method of the present embodiment will be described.

The detection device 300 performs measurement using a disc-shaped liquid sealed cartridge 100 (see fig. 19). In the examples shown in fig. 20 to 24, the detection device 300 is an immunoassay device that detects a test substance in a sample by an antigen-antibody reaction using the liquid sealed cartridge 100 and measures the test substance based on the detection result.

In the configuration example of fig. 20 and 21, the detection device 300 includes a case 310 capable of housing the liquid seal cartridge 100.

The housing 310 is formed of a box-shaped member having an internal space with a certain volume, a combination of a frame and an exterior plate, and the like. The housing 310 has a small box-like shape that can be placed on a desk.

The housing 310 has a base portion 311 and a cover portion 312. An arrangement portion 313 for arranging the liquid seal cartridge 100 is provided on the upper surface portion of the base portion 311. The cover 312 is vertically rotatable with respect to the base 311, and is openable and closable to a state of the open disposition portion 313 shown in fig. 20 and a state of the cover disposition portion 313 shown in fig. 21.

As a method of setting the cartridge, in addition to a method of placing the open lid 312 on the placement portion 313, a slit insertion method of inserting the liquid sealed cartridge 100 from an insertion port formed in the housing 310, and a tray insertion method of placing the liquid sealed cartridge 100 on a tray that moves inside and outside the housing 310 may be adopted.

As shown in fig. 22, the detection device 300 includes a rotation mechanism 320, a measurement unit 330, an imaging unit 340, and an illumination unit 341. The detection device 300 includes a magnet driving unit 350, a pressing unit 360, a heater 371, a temperature sensor 372, and a clamper 373. The above-described components are housed in the case 310.

The support member 314 that supports the liquid sealing cartridge 100 from below is disposed in the disposition portion 313. The support member 314 is constituted by a turntable, for example. The support member 314 is provided at an upper end portion of the rotating shaft 321 of the rotating mechanism 320. The support member 314 supports the liquid sealed cartridge 100 in a state of a predetermined relative rotation angle.

The clamper 373 rotatably supports the center portion of the upper surface of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 provided on the support member 314 in the state where the cover 312 is closed.

The rotation mechanism 320 includes a rotation shaft 321 and a driving unit 322 such as an electric motor. The rotation mechanism 320 drives the driving unit 322 to rotate the liquid sealed cartridge 100 provided in the support member 314 about the rotation shaft 321. The rotation mechanism 320 includes an encoder 323 for detecting a rotation angle of the drive unit 322, and an origin sensor 324 for detecting an origin position of the rotation angle. The drive unit 322 is driven based on the detection angle of the encoder 323 with reference to the detection position detected by the origin sensor 324, and the liquid seal cartridge 100 can be moved to an arbitrary rotational position.

The rotation mechanism 320 mounts the liquid sealed cartridge 100 via the rotation shaft 321. The rotation shaft 321 is oriented in the vertical direction, for example, in the installation state of the detection device 300. The liquid sealed cartridge 100 is supported by the rotating mechanism 320 in an attitude along the horizontal direction.

The driving unit 322 rotates the rotation shaft 321 about the shaft, and thereby the liquid seal cartridge 100 rotates about the rotation shaft 321. In this way, the chambers 121 to 126 and the liquid storage unit 10 of the liquid sealing cartridge 100 move in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis 321 on the circular orbit of the rotation radius corresponding to the radial distance from the respective arrangement positions to the rotation axis 321.

The magnet driving unit 350 has a magnet 351 and has a function of moving the magnetic particles MP in the liquid sealed cartridge 100 in the radial direction. The magnet driving unit 350 is disposed below the disposition portion 313 and moves the magnet 351 in the radial direction. The magnet driving unit 350 moves the magnet 351 in a direction of approaching or separating from the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The magnet 351 is close to the liquid sealed cartridge 100, so that the magnetic particles MP in the liquid sealed cartridge 100 are accumulated by the magnetic force, and the magnet 351 is far from the liquid sealed cartridge 100, so that the accumulation of the magnetic particles MP is released by the magnetic force.

The pressing unit 360 includes a pressing member 361 and a pressing drive unit 362 for moving the pressing member 361 in the vertical direction. The pressing member 361 is a rod-shaped pin member extending in the vertical direction, and has an outer diameter corresponding to the pressing area PA of the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B. The pressing drive unit 362 is formed by a combination of a drive source such as an electric motor and a cam mechanism that converts the rotation of the drive source into vertical motion. The 2 pressing portions 360 are provided so that the liquid sealing portion 30A and the liquid sealing portion 30B provided at 2 positions for 1 liquid storage portion can be unsealed. As shown in fig. 23, in a plan view, the respective distances of the 2 pressing portions 360 from the rotation axis 321 are substantially equal to the respective distances of the 2 liquid sealing portions 30A and 30B provided in the liquid storage portion 10 from the rotation axis 321.

The pressing portion 360 moves the pressing member 361 downward from above the liquid sealed cartridge 100 disposed in the disposition portion 313 toward the liquid sealed cartridge 100 to come into contact with the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The pressing portion 360 presses the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B via the cover 40 by a pressing member 361. The pressing portion 360 releases the sealing of the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B in the liquid seal cartridge 100 by pressing. After the seal is opened, the pressing portion 360 moves the pressing member 361 to a non-contact retreat position by separating it upward from the liquid seal cartridge 100.

The heaters 371 are provided at positions immediately below the liquid sealed cartridge 100 and at positions immediately above the liquid sealed cartridge 100, respectively, which are disposed at the arrangement portion 313. The heater 371 heats the sample stored in the liquid sealed cartridge 100 to a predetermined reaction temperature, and promotes the reaction between the sample and the reagent. The temperature sensor 372 detects the temperature of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 by infrared rays.

The measurement unit 330 has a photodetector 331 at a position facing the liquid sealed cartridge 100 disposed in the disposition unit 313 via an opening formed in the base unit 311. The photodetector 331 detects light generated from the measurement sample moved to the detection position 332 (see fig. 23). The pulse waveform corresponding to the light reception of the photon, that is, the photon, is output by the photodetector 331. The measurement unit 330 has a loop therein, counts photons at regular intervals based on an output signal of the photodetector 331, and outputs a count value.

The photodetector 331 is disposed at a position immediately below the liquid sealed cartridge 100 disposed in the disposition portion 313. As shown in fig. 23, the rotation mechanism 320 rotates the liquid sealed cartridge 100 about the rotation shaft 321, thereby disposing the chamber 126 at a detection position 332 immediately above the photodetector 331. Thus, the measuring unit 330 detects light generated from the chamber 126 by the photodetector 331.

The photographing section 340 is opposed to the upper side of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 provided on the supporting member 314, and acquires an image of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. Whether or not the processing in the liquid sealed cartridge 100 is properly performed can be confirmed from the obtained image. The imaging section 340 includes, for example, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, and the like. The illumination unit 341 is formed of, for example, a light emitting diode, and emits illumination light at the time of shooting.

The imaging unit 340 directly faces the upper surface of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 through a hole provided in the lid 312. The illumination portion 341 directly faces the upper surface of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 through a hole provided in the cover portion 312. The imaging range 342 (see FIG. 23) of the imaging unit 340 is set so that when the liquid sealed cartridge 100 disposed in the disposition portion 313 rotates, some or all of the chambers 121 to 126, the passages 141 to 145, and the like pass through. The imaging unit 340 obtains an image of the liquid and the magnetic particles MP in the liquid sealed cartridge 100 by the illumination light.

As shown in fig. 23, the imaging unit 340 images an identifier 400 provided on the upper surface of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The identifier 400 is an information recording medium such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code that can be read from an image. The rotation mechanism 320 rotates the liquid sealed cartridge 100, thereby positioning the identifier 400 within the photographing range 342. The identifier records information for specifying the measurement item, information relating to the reagent, information for specifying the liquid sealed cartridge 100, and the like.

The detection device 300 shown in fig. 22 includes an operation unit 374 for receiving an operation by a user when opening the cover 312, a sensor unit 375 for sensing opening and closing of the cover 312, a lock mechanism 376 for engaging with the cover 312 in a closed state and locking the cover 312, and the like.

Fig. 24 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the components of the detection device 300 shown in fig. 22 and the control unit 380 that controls the components by control signals.

The detection device 300 has a control section 380. The control section 380 includes, for example, a processor and a memory. The processor is constituted by, for example, a CPU, an MPU, or the like. The memory is constituted by ROM, RAM, and the like. The control unit 380 receives signals from the respective units of the detection device 300 and controls the respective units of the detection device 300.

The detection apparatus 300 includes a storage unit 381. The storage unit 381 stores measurement result data. The storage unit 381 is configured by, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk, or the like.

The detection device 300 includes a communication unit 382. The communication unit 382 can transmit and receive information to and from an external device. The communication section 382 includes, for example, a communication module, an interface for external connection, and the like. The communication unit 382 can communicate with a terminal capable of communicating with the detection device 300 and a server via a network by wired or wireless communication. Data related to measurement processing, such as transmission of a log including measurement result data and acquisition of a calibration curve, can be performed by communication. The terminal includes, for example, a tablet type terminal, a portable information terminal such as a smart phone, and an information terminal such as a PC (personal computer). The control unit 380 can receive an operation input from a user via a user interface displayed on the terminal.

(description of operation of detection device)

Next, the operation of the detection device 300 will be described with reference to fig. 25. In the following description, the structure of the detection device 300 is described with reference to fig. 22 and 23. The structure of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 is described with reference to fig. 19.

First, as a preparatory operation, a user injects a blood sample collected from a subject from the inlet 111 of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The user guides the entrance 111 to inject a measurement target sample. An example of measurement items of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 is a measurement example of hepatitis b surface antigen (HBsAg). The test substance in the blood sample includes an antigen. The antigen is hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The measurement items may be Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), thyroid stimulating hormone (FT 4), and the like.

In the liquid sealed cartridge 100, the R1 reagent is contained in the liquid containing portion 10 located in the radial direction of the chamber 121. The chamber 121 contains a R2 reagent containing magnetic particles MP. The R3 reagent is contained in the liquid storage portion 10 located in the radial direction of the chamber 122. The liquid storage sections 10 located in the radial directions of the chambers 123 to 125 contain a cleaning liquid. The R4 reagent is contained in the liquid storage portion 10 located in the radial direction of the chamber 126. The R5 reagent is stored in the other liquid storage portion 10 located in the radial direction of the chamber 126.

In step S11 of fig. 25, the control unit 380 executes an initial operation for starting measurement.

Specifically, the control section 380 senses the closing of the cover section 312 based on the signal of the sensing section 375. The control unit 380 executes the operation of reading the identifier 400. The imaging unit 340 images the identifier 400, and the control unit 380 acquires various information used for measurement. The controller 380 acquires the rotational positions of the chambers 121 to 126, the 7 pairs of liquid seal units 30A and 30B provided in the 7 liquid storage units 10, based on the origin position detected by the origin sensor 324 and the read position of the identifier 400.

At step S12 and thereafter, the control unit 380 starts the sample processing operation performed by the detection device 300. Further, each time the steps are performed, the control unit 380 positions the place where the sample processing is performed in the imaging range 342 of the imaging unit 340 by the rotation mechanism 320, and causes the imaging unit 340 to image. The control section 380 monitors whether or not the sample processing is normally executed based on the captured image of the imaging section 340. If the execution is not normal, the control unit 380 executes a certain error process, but the description thereof is omitted here.

In step S12, the control unit 380 performs a process of separating the sample into a liquid component and a solid component. The controller 380 rotates the liquid sealed cartridge 100 at a high speed by the rotation mechanism 320, and moves the sample from the channel 131 to the separation unit 112 by centrifugal force. At this time, the excessive sample exceeding a certain amount moves to the collection unit 113. In the separation section 112, the sample is separated into a liquid component, which is plasma, and a solid component, which is blood cells, by centrifugal force. The separated plasma moves into the channel 133 and fills the channel 133.

In step S13, the control unit 380 transfers the plasma and the reagent to the chamber. That is, the controller 380 executes steps S31 to S33 in fig. 26, and by sequentially unsealing the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B of the 6 liquid storage portions 10 by the pressing portion 360, rotates the liquid seal cartridge 100, and transfers the liquid 90 stored in the 6 liquid storage portions 10 located in the radial direction of the chambers 121 to 126 to the chambers 121 to 126 via the flow paths 135, respectively. Further, the plasma in the channel 133 is transferred to the chamber 121 by the rotation of the liquid sealed cartridge 100. The liquid 90 transferred from the 6 liquid storage units 10 is R1 reagent, R2 reagent, R3 reagent, cleaning liquid, or R4 reagent. The details of steps S31 to S33 will be described later.

Thereby, the R1 reagent and the plasma are transferred to the chamber 121, and the plasma, the R1 reagent, and the R2 reagent are mixed in the chamber 121. The R3 reagent is transferred to chamber 122. The cleaning liquid is transferred to the chambers 123 to 125. The R4 reagent is transferred to chamber 126.

After the completion of the reagent transfer in step S12, the control unit 380 further performs the stirring process. Specifically, the controller 380 drives the rotating mechanism 320 to switch 2 different rotation speeds at regular time intervals while rotating in a regular direction. Thus, the liquid in the chambers 121-126 is stirred. The stirring process is performed not only in step S13 but also at the end of steps S14 to S19.

Here, the R1 reagent contains a capture substance that binds to the test substance. The capture substance contains, for example, an antibody that binds to the test substance. The antibody is, for example, biotin-binding HBs monoclonal antibody. The R2 reagent contains magnetic particles MP. The magnetic particles MP are, for example, streptavidin-conjugated magnetic particles whose surface is coated with avidin. In step S13, after the plasma is mixed with the R1 reagent and the R2 reagent and the stirring process is performed, the test substance and the R1 reagent are bound by the antigen-antibody reaction. Then, the reaction between the antigen-antibody reaction product and the magnetic particles MP causes the test substance bound to the capture substance of the R1 reagent to bind to the magnetic particles MP via the capture substance. In this way, a complex in which the test substance and the magnetic particles MP are bound to each other is generated.

Next, in step S14, the controller 380 transfers the compound in the chamber 121 from the chamber 121 to the chamber 122.

When the compound is transferred, the controller 380 drives the magnet driver 350 to bring the magnet 351 close to the liquid sealed cartridge 100, and collects the compound diffused in the chamber 121. The controller 380 moves the compound along the channel 134 by combining the radial movement of the magnet 351 by the driving of the magnet driver 350 and the circumferential movement of the liquid sealed cartridge 100 by the rotating mechanism 320. That is, the controller 380 moves the compound from the chamber 121 to the chamber 122 in the order of the radial inner side of the channel PT1, the circumferential direction of the channel PT2, and the radial outer side of the channel PT3 in fig. 23. The controller 380 performs a stirring process after the compound moves. Further, since the complex is transferred to each of the chambers 123 to 126 by the same method, the detailed description thereof is omitted.

By transferring the complex to the chamber 122, the complex generated in the chamber 121 and the R3 reagent are mixed in the chamber 122. Here, the R3 reagent contains a labeling substance. The labeling substance contains a capture substance that specifically binds to the test substance and a label. For example, the labeled substance is a labeled antibody using an antibody as a capture substance. In step S14, after the complex generated in the chamber 121 and the R3 reagent are mixed and stirred, the complex generated in the chamber 121 and the labeled antibody contained in the R3 reagent react with each other. In this way, a complex in which the test substance and the capture antibody are bound to the magnetic particle MP and the labeled antibody is generated in the chamber 122.

In step S15, the controller 380 transfers the compound in the chamber 122 from the chamber 122 to the chamber 123. Thereby, in the chamber 123, the compound generated in the chamber 122 and the cleaning liquid are mixed in the chamber 123. In step S15, after the stirring treatment, the complex and the unreacted substance are separated in the chamber 123. That is, in the chamber 123, unreacted substances are removed by purging.

In step S16, the controller 380 transfers the compound in the chamber 123 from the chamber 123 to the chamber 124. Thus, in the chamber 124, the compound generated in the chamber 122 is mixed with the cleaning liquid. Unreacted materials are also removed in chamber 124 by purging.

In step S17, the controller 380 transfers the compound in the chamber 124 from the chamber 124 to the chamber 125. Thereby, in the chamber 125, the compound generated in the chamber 122 is mixed with the cleaning liquid. Unreacted materials are also removed in chamber 125 by purging.

In step S18, the controller 380 transfers the compound in the chamber 125 from the chamber 125 to the chamber 126. Thus, in chamber 126, the complex formed in chamber 122 is mixed with the R4 reagent. Here, the R4 reagent is a reagent for dispersing the complex generated in the chamber 122. The R4 reagent is for example a buffer. In step S18, after the stirring process, the complex generated in the chamber 122 is dispersed in the R4 reagent in the chamber 126.

In step S19, the controller 380 transfers the R5 reagent to the chamber 126. Specifically, the controller 380 executes steps S31 to S33 in fig. 26 to release the sealing of the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B of the liquid storage unit 10, and rotates the liquid seal cartridge 100 to transfer the R5 reagent stored in the liquid storage unit 10 to the chamber 126. Thus, in the chamber 126, the R5 reagent is further mixed with the mixed solution generated in step S18.

Here, the R5 reagent contains a luminescent substrate that generates light by reaction with a labeled antibody bound to a complex. In step S19, the mixed solution generated in step S18 and the additionally transferred R5 reagent are mixed and stirred, and then a measurement sample is prepared. The labeled substance bound to the complex reacts with the luminescent substrate, whereby the chemiluminescence of the sample is measured.

In step S20, the control unit 380 positions the chamber 126 at the detection position 332 immediately above the photodetector 331 by the rotation mechanism 320. Photodetector 331 detects light emitted from chamber 126.

In step S21, the control unit 380 performs an immune-related measurement process based on the light detected by the photodetector 331. The measurement unit 330 counts the photons and outputs a count value. The control unit 380 measures the presence, amount, and the like of the test substance based on the count value and the calibration curve output from the measurement unit 330, and generates a measurement result.

After obtaining the measurement result, in step S22, the control unit 380 records the measurement result data in the storage unit 381. The control unit 380 also transmits the measurement result data to the terminal or the server via the communication unit 382.

The measurement operation of the detection device 300 is completed in this way.

(liquid feeding treatment)

Next, the liquid feeding process performed by the detection device 300 will be described with reference to fig. 26. The liquid feeding process of fig. 26 is executed in steps S13 and S19 of fig. 25. The liquid feeding process of fig. 26 is performed by the liquid feeding method of the present embodiment.

The liquid feeding method of the present embodiment includes step S31 before step S32 of pressing the center low-strength portion 31, in which step S31 moves at least one of the main body portion 50 in which the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B are formed, and the pressing member 361 that presses the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B, so as to correspond the pressing positions of the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B to each other.

This makes it possible to more reliably press the center low-strength portion 31 of the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B. The pressing force is directly applied to the center low-strength portion 31, and the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B can be unsealed with a smaller load (pressing force).

Specifically, in step S31 in which the pressing positions are associated, the pressing positions of the pressing members 361 against the center-side low-strength portion 31 are associated by moving the main body 50. That is, the controller 380 rotates the liquid seal cartridge 100 by driving the rotation mechanism 320, and as shown in fig. 27, positions the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B arranged in the radial direction immediately below the 2 pressing members 361.

Thus, the liquid seal cartridge 100 is moved relative to the pressing member 361, and thus the device for pressing can be fixed. Compared with the technical scheme of moving the pressing device, the problem of load during pressing can be easily solved.

Next, in step S32, the controller 380 lowers the 2 pressing parts 360 to press the liquid sealing part 30A and the liquid sealing part 30B. The pressing unseals the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B. As shown in fig. 28, the pressing member 361 contacts the pressure receiving surfaces 35a of the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B via the cover portion 40 while elastically deforming the cover portion 40.

As shown in fig. 28, in step S32 of pressing the center low-strength portion 31, the pin-shaped pressing member 361 presses the vicinity of the center portion 34 of the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B via the cover portions 40 facing the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B.

Accordingly, by pressing the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B via the cover portion 40 while being covered with the cover portion 40, the liquid seal portions 30A and 30B can be unsealed without causing liquid leakage. At this time, although the cover portion 40 may be damaged if the depth of depression during pressing is large, in the present embodiment, the depth of depression during pressing can be made small, and therefore, damage to the cover portion 40 as well as the inner bottom surface 61 can be suppressed.

In step S32, the controller 380 further drives the pressing part 360 to apply a pressing force to the liquid seal part 30A or the liquid seal part 30B via the pressing member 361, and then, as shown in fig. 29, the liquid seal part 30A or the liquid seal part 30B is broken at the center low-strength portion 31. Then, in step S32 of pressing the center low-strength portion 31, the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are deformed in the pressing direction with respect to the center low-strength portion 31. The one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b are turned in directions away from each other, and the through hole TH is pushed open.

This can break the center low-strength portion 31 to form the through hole TH, and deform the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32b to push open the through hole TH. Since only the one side portion 32a and the other side portion 32B need be deformed and do not separate from the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B, it is possible to prevent the one side portion 32a or the other side portion 32B from falling into the liquid storage portion 10 and hindering liquid feeding.

After the pressing member 361 is moved to the lower limit position, the controller 380 moves the pressing member 361 upward to the upper limit position above the liquid sealing cartridge 100. The lower limit position of the pressing member 361 is a position between the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B and the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid storage portion 10.

In this manner, in step S32 of pressing the center low-strength portion 31, the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B are pressed through the cover portion 40 from above the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B to positions between the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B and the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid storage portion 10. This can stop the pressing operation until the pressing member 361 comes into contact with the inner bottom surface 61 of the liquid storage unit 10, and thus can more reliably prevent the inner bottom surface 61 from being damaged.

As described above, as shown in fig. 30, the sealing of the liquid seal portion 30A and the liquid seal portion 30B is released. That is, the liquid storage unit 10 communicates with the air hole 115 and the flow path 135.

In step S13 of fig. 25, the controller 380 repeats the unsealing operation as described above to unseal the 6 liquid seal portions 30A and 6 liquid seal portions 30B located in the radial direction of the chambers 121 to 126. In step S19 of fig. 25, the controller 380 unseals the liquid sealing portion 30A and the liquid sealing portion 30B of the liquid storage unit 10 in which the R5 reagent is stored.

Next, in step S33, the controller 380 rotates the liquid seal cartridge 100 by the rotation mechanism 320, and causes the liquid 90 in the liquid storage unit 10 to flow into the flow path 20 through the pressed center low-strength portion 31. As shown in fig. 30, the liquid 90 stored in the liquid storage unit 10 flows to the flow path 135 by the rotation of the liquid sealing cartridge 100. Thus, the reagent in the liquid storage unit 10 moves to the corresponding chamber through the flow path 135.

The liquid feeding treatment was performed as above.

In the above-described embodiments, chemiluminescence is light emitted by utilizing energy of a chemical reaction, and is, for example, light emitted when a molecule is excited to an excited state by the chemical reaction and returns from the excited state to a ground state. Chemiluminescence can be generated, for example, by reaction of an enzyme with a substrate, by electrochemical stimulation of a marker substance, based on the LOCI method (luminecent Oxygen channelling microassay), based on bioluminescence. In this embodiment mode, arbitrary chemiluminescence can be performed. The substance that excites fluorescence when irradiated with light of a certain wavelength is designed to bind to the test substance to form a complex. In this case, a light source for irradiating light to the cell 126 is arranged. The photodetector detects fluorescence excited from the substance bound to the complex by the light from the light source.

The magnetic particles MP may be any particles that include a material having magnetic properties as a base material and are used in ordinary immunoassays. For example, using Fe₂O₃And/or Fe₃O₄Cobalt, nickel, ferrite, magnetite, and the like as a base material. The magnetic particles may be coated with a binding substance for binding to the test substance, or may be bound to the test substance via a capture substance for binding the magnetic particles to the test substance. The capture substance being bound to the magnetic particles and the test substanceAntigens or antibodies, and the like.

The capture substance is not particularly limited as long as it specifically binds to the test substance. For example, the capture substance and the test substance are bound by an antigen-antibody reaction. More specifically, the capture substance is an antibody, but when the test substance is an antibody, the capture substance may be an antigen of the antibody. In addition, when the test substance is a nucleic acid, the capture substance may be a nucleic acid complementary to the test substance. Examples of the label contained in the labeling substance include an enzyme and a fluorescent substance. Examples of the enzyme include alkaline phosphatase (ALP), peroxidase (peroxidase), glucose oxidase, tyrosinase (tyrosinase), and acid phosphatase (acid phosphatase). When the chemiluminescence is electrochemical luminescence, the label is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance that emits light by electrochemical stimulation, and examples thereof include a ruthenium complex. As the fluorescent substance, Fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC), Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), fluorescein (luciferin), or the like can be used.

When the label is an enzyme, a known luminescent substrate may be appropriately selected depending on the enzyme to be used. For example, when alkaline phosphatase is used as the enzyme, the following luminescent substrates can be used: CDP-Star (registered trademark), (disodium 4-chloro-3- (methoxyspiro [1, 2-dioxetane-3, 2 ' - (5 ' -chloro) tricyclo [ 3.3.1.13, 7 ] decan ] -4-yl) phenylphosphate), CSPD (registered trademark) (disodium 3- (4-methoxyspiro [1, 2-dioxetane-3, 2- (5 ' -chloro) tricyclo [ 3.3.1.13, 7 ] decan ] -4-yl) phenylphosphate) and other chemiluminescent substrates; luminescent substrates such as p-nitrophenylphosphate, 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate (BCIP), 4-nitrotetrazolium chloride (NBT), and Iodonitrotetrazolium (INT); fluorescent substrates such as 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (4 MUP); 5-bromo-4-lv-3-indole phosphate (BCIP), disodium 5-bromo-6-chloro-indole phosphate, p-nitrophenylphosphate, and the like.

All technical means of the embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary and not intended to be limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications equivalent in meaning and scope to the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, the main body 50 and the pressing member 361 are moved so as to correspond the pressing positions of the liquid seal portion 30, but the following configuration may be adopted instead: the pressing member 361 is moved immediately above the liquid seal portion 30 so that the pressing positions correspond; the body 50 and the pressing member 361 are both moved so that the pressing positions correspond.

Description of the symbols

10: liquid storage unit, 20: flow path, 30A, 30B: liquid seal portion, 31: center-side low-strength portion, 31-1: center-side low-strength portion, 31-2: outer-peripheral-side low-strength portion, 32 a: a side portion, 32 b: other side portion, 33: outer peripheral portion, 34: center portion, 35 a: pressure receiving surface, 36, 37: recess, 40: cover portion, 50: main body portion, 61: inner bottom surface, 90: liquid, 100: liquid seal cartridge, 145: flow path, 360: pressing part, 361: pressing member