JP7217133B2 - inspection device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a testing device for chromatography.

Nucleic acid chromatography is a technique for developing, capturing, and detecting a substance to be detected to which a nucleic acid tag that hybridizes with the nucleic acid immobilized on the carrier is developed on a chromatography carrier on which nucleic acid is immobilized. Nucleic acids with different base sequences are immobilized at different positions on a chromatography carrier, and nucleic acid tags specific to the nucleic acids are added to a plurality of substances to be detected, respectively, so that a plurality of substances to be detected contained in one sample can be identified. Substances can be detected on one carrier. In addition to nucleic acid chromatography, there are other chromatographic techniques that capture substances to be detected on chromatographic carriers using antigen-antibody combinations that can form specific bonds or ligand-receptor combinations. , molecular biology testing, and genetic testing for medical and food testing.

In the chromatography as described above, various liquids such as a sample solution containing a substance to be detected and a developing solution are used. When these liquids are removed from the container with an instrument such as a pipette and applied to the chromatography carrier, the liquid may scatter in the test environment and cause contamination that causes false positives. Also, opening the container in the testing environment can contaminate the liquid in the container.

A liquid such as a sample solution or developing solution for use in chromatography is kept in a container, and without using a pipette or other instrument, a part of the container is broken to leak the liquid, and the liquid is brought into contact with the chromatography carrier. A device is being developed.

For example, a device for detecting an analyte in an affinity bioassay disclosed in US Pat.
at least one transparent wall;
at least one test recess adapted to receive at least one test strip and positioned such that the test strip is visible through the transparent wall;
at least one cavity adapted to receive a container containing a fluid sample, said cavity being in fluid communication with said at least one test recess;
positioned in correspondence with the at least one cavity such that insertion of a container into the cavity punctures the container and releases at least a portion of the sample from the container to reach the test recess. and perforating means.

In addition, the completely sealed target nucleic acid amplified product high-speed inspection device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is
including internal structure and outer box,
The internal structure includes a fixed box part and a base part,
The fixed box portion has corresponding holes and is used to receive the wash pack and the PCR tube containing the amplificate,
The pedestal portion includes a wash solution storage unit with a fluid pack piercing needle, an amplification product storage unit with a cutter, a sealed partition, a glass fiber paper, and a test strip sealing portion with a test strip/transparent window;
The outer box is characterized by including a lever cover, a fixing box pressing part, a cleaning liquid pack pressing part and a transparent window.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-512250 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-500009

Patent Documents 1 and 2 and the like describe devices in which a liquid is leaked out by breaking a part of a container containing the liquid in a housing containing the chromatography support, and the liquid is brought into contact with the chromatography support.

However, the present inventors have newly found a problem that when a container containing a liquid is destroyed, the inside of the container becomes negative pressure when part of the liquid in the container leaks, preventing further leakage of the liquid. .

An inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises
A housing for housing the chromatography carrier,
The housing is
a support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography;
a blade having a cutting edge for incising a container supported by a support to cause liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier;
With the container being supported, the support part is provided to extend from a first position where one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade to a second position where the container is incised by the blade from the end of the container. , a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed,
Let M be the length along the guiding direction, which is the direction in which the container is guided by the container guide portion, while being supported by the support portion,
When the container is supported by the supporting portion and guided from the first position to the second position, the maximum length of the notch formed in the container along the guiding direction is defined as D,
It is characterized by D/M being 0.2 or more.

In the inspection device according to this embodiment, when the container is supported by the support and guided from the first position to the second position, the container has a length M of 0.2 M or more (=D ) is formed. For this reason, a container containing liquid to a depth of less than D, which corresponds to the maximum length of the cut, and the remaining gas phase, is used as the housing of the testing device according to this embodiment. When supported on a body support and guided from a first position to a second position, the blade cuts into the container up to a portion surrounding the gas phase within the container. At this time, since air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase through the part of the cut formed in the container that connects the gas phase and the outside of the container, the gas phase in the container is under negative pressure when the liquid leaks from the container. and the liquid can efficiently escape from the container. To achieve this effect, the liquid can be contained in the container to a depth of less than D, ie at least less than 0.2M.

An inspection device according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises
A housing for housing the chromatography carrier,
The housing is
a support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography;
a blade having a cutting edge for incising a container supported by a support to cause liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier;
With the container being supported, the support part is provided to extend from a first position where one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade to a second position where the container is incised by the blade from the end of the container. , a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed,
The distance along the vertical direction from the end of the container to the portion where the liquid surface is located when the container is held in the container when the container is supported by the support so as to be in the first position. Let A be the maximum length along the vertical direction of the notch formed in the container when the container is subsequently guided from the first position to the second position.
Characterized in that B is greater than A.

The support portion of the housing of the testing device according to this embodiment supported a container containing a liquid used for chromatography together with a gas phase so as to be at the first position, and was guided from the first position to the second position. The blade then cuts through the container from said one end of the container to a portion surrounding the gas phase within said container. At this time, since air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase through the part of the cut formed in the container that connects the gas phase and the outside of the container, the gas phase in the container is under negative pressure when the liquid leaks from the container. and the liquid can efficiently escape from the container.

In a more preferred embodiment of the testing device described above,
The blade is a plate-shaped blade with a cutting edge formed on one side and a base end formed on the other side,
A fixing portion is formed on the inner wall surface of the housing to fix the base end of the blade so as to sandwich it from both sides in the thickness direction of the blade,
The fixing part has a tapered portion formed so that the dimension in the thickness direction of the blade becomes smaller as it approaches the cutting edge of the blade,
When the container is supported by the support and guided from the first position to the second position, the tapered portion of the securing portion is inserted into the notch formed in the container.

According to this aspect, the tapered portion of the fixing portion is inserted into the notch formed in the container supported by the support portion and guided from the first position to the second position, thereby preventing leakage of liquid from the container. It can be done more efficiently.

In a more preferred aspect of this aspect,
The tapered portion of the securing portion has an uneven surface protruding and/or recessed in the thickness direction of the blade.

According to this preferred aspect, when the tapered portion of the fixing portion is inserted into the notch of the container, a gap is likely to be formed between the notch of the container and the uneven surface of the tapered portion of the fixing portion. is more likely to leak.

Another embodiment of the invention comprises:
A method of performing chromatography using a test device,
inspection device
a chromatography carrier, and
A housing for housing the carrier,
The housing is
a support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography;
a blade having a cutting edge for incising a container supported by a support to cause liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier;
With the container being supported, the support part is provided to extend from a first position where one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade to a second position where the container is incised by the blade from the end of the container. , a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed,
A step 1 of supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography together with a gas phase on a supporting portion of a testing device so as to be at a first position;
after step 1, guiding the container from the first position to the second position;
Let A be the distance in the vertical direction from the end of the container supported by the support in step 1 to the liquid surface in the container,
When the maximum length along the vertical direction of the cut formed in the container in step 2 is B,
It relates to a method characterized in that B is greater than A.

By the method according to this embodiment, when the container containing the liquid used for chromatography is supported by the support portion of the housing of the testing device and guided when moved from the first position to the second position, the blade A notch is formed in the container. At this time, since air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase through the part of the cut formed in the container that connects the gas phase and the outside of the container, the gas phase in the container is under negative pressure when the liquid leaks from the container. , and the liquid can efficiently escape through the notch in the container.

A testing device and method according to an embodiment of the present invention allows efficient leakage of the liquid used for chromatography from the container.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper housing member of the testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from below; 1 is a perspective view of a blade of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic view of the testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and positioned at the first position. FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and positioned at the second position, and before liquid leaks from the container. FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and positioned at the second position, and the liquid leaks from the container. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a lateral end face including one of the containers in a state in which the container is supported by the supporting portion of the housing and positioned at the first position in the testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the test device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the container is supported by the support part of the housing and positioned at the second position, and the lateral direction including one of the containers is in a state before the liquid leaks from the container. is a schematic diagram of the end face of the. In the test device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and positioned at the second position, and the lateral direction including one of the containers is in a state after the liquid leaks from the container. is a schematic diagram of the end face of the. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the thickness of the blade of one embodiment of a fastener having a tapered portion for securing the blade to the housing. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view in the thickness direction of the blade in a state in which the container is pushed into the blade fixed to the fixed portion having the tapered portion shown in FIG. 5A until the tapered portion is inserted into the cut. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a tapered fixing portion for fixing the blade to the housing, taken through the thickness of the blade; FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fixing portion shown in FIG. 6A taken along line II. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the length of a cut formed by cutting the container with a blade and the amount of liquid in the container. (1) and (2) show the notches of Example 1, (3) and (4) show the notches of Comparative Example 1, and (5) and (6) show the notches of Example 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the length of a cut formed by cutting the container with a blade and the amount of liquid in the container. (1) and (2) show the notches of Example 3, (3) and (4) show the notches of Comparative Example 2, and (5) and (6) show the notches of Example 4. It is a continuation of FIG. 8-1, and (7) shows the notch of Example 5. 1 shows the structure of a chromatography carrier that can be used in the present invention. (A) shows a plan view, and (B) shows a side view. Figure 2 shows the structure of another chromatographic support that can be used in the present invention; (A) shows a plan view, and (B) shows a side view.

Specific embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

<Overview of inspection device according to first embodiment>
A testing device 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 4C.

The testing device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 10 and a lid 20 . A material for forming the housing 10 and the lid body 20 is not particularly limited, and materials such as resin and glass can be appropriately used. As will be described later, in the inspection device of the present invention, the lid 20 included in the inspection device 1 of the present embodiment is not an essential component.

The housing 10 forms therein an internal space 11 for accommodating the chromatography carrier 30 .
The housing 10 also includes a blade 13 disposed within the interior space 11 for cutting the containers 40 , 40 and allowing the liquid L to leak out of the containers 40 , 40 to a location in contact with the chromatography carrier 30 .

In the illustrated example, the housing 10 is formed by a housing upper member 10A and a housing lower member 10B. The housing lower member 10B includes a bottom wall portion 101 of the housing 10 and a side wall portion 102 erected from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 101 . The housing upper member 10A includes an upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10, a support portion 14 described later, and a lid mounting portion 15. As shown in FIG. In the upper wall portion 103 of the upper housing member 10A, the outer surface of the housing 10 when combined with the lower housing member 10B is defined as an upper surface 103a, and the inner surface of the housing 10 is defined as a lower surface 103b. Four locking claws 10A1 projecting toward the lower surface 103b are formed on the peripheral edge of the upper wall portion 103 of the upper housing member 10A. Four locking recesses 10B1 that engage with the locking claws 10A1 are formed.

The upper end 102b of the side wall portion 102 of the lower housing member 10B and the peripheral edge portion 103b1 of the lower surface 103b of the upper wall portion 103 of the upper housing member 10A engage the upper housing member 10A and the lower housing member 10B. when they touch each other. Further, the lower surface 103b of the upper wall portion 103 is formed with a protruding portion 103b2 adjacent to the inner peripheral side along the peripheral edge portion 103b1 and protruding beyond the peripheral edge portion 103b1. When the upper housing member 10A and the lower housing member 10B are engaged with each other, the outer peripheral surface 103b3 of the projecting portion 103b2 of the lower surface 103b of the upper wall portion 103 of the upper housing member 10A and the side wall of the lower housing member 10B A portion adjacent to the upper end 102b of the inner surface 102c of the portion 102 abuts. With these configurations, when the housing upper member 10A and the housing lower member 10B are engaged to form the housing 10, liquid leakage from the boundary between the side wall portion 102 and the upper wall portion 103 can be prevented. .

In the illustrated example, the housing 10 is formed of two members (a housing upper member 10A and a housing lower member 10B), but is not limited to this, and the housing 10 is formed of one member. may be formed from three or more members.

The internal space 11 is a space enclosed within the housing 10, and in the illustrated example, communicates with the outside through the holes 12, 12, but the other portions are of a closed structure. In the illustrated embodiment, a bottom wall portion 101 , a side wall portion 102 , and an upper wall portion 103 surrounding the internal space 11 constitute the body portion of the housing 10 .

The inner wall surface of the housing is the wall surface of the wall portion of the housing facing the internal space. It refers to the surface of the member such as 103 facing the internal space 11 .

The support portion 14 supports one or more (two in the illustrated example) containers 40, 40 containing the liquid L used in chromatography, and the containers 40, 40 are moved from a first position to a second position described later. Holes 12, 12 are formed as guiding container guides. The holes 12, 12 function as guide holes for guiding the containers 40, 40, which are respectively inserted and supported, from a first position to a second position, which will be described later. Note that the container guide portion may have any structure that can guide the container from a first position to a second position, which will be described later, and is not limited to the holes 12 formed in the support portion 14 . The holes 12, 12 are through holes that communicate the internal space 11 of the housing 10 with the outside. The holes 12, 12 only need to be able to insert and support the containers 40, 40 in the penetrating direction, and guide the inserted containers 40, 40 toward the blade 13. Shape is not limited. Note that "S" drawn on the outer surface 14a of the support portion 14 shown in FIG. 1A is a mark indicating that it is the hole 12 through which the container 40 containing the sample liquid (sample) as the liquid L is inserted, and "B" is a mark indicating that it is the hole 12 through which the container 40 containing the developing solution (buffer) as the liquid L is inserted.

An internal space 11 of the housing 10 serves as a place for development of chromatography. A solid-phase chromatography carrier 30 is installed in the internal space 11 . In the internal space 11, the liquid L is brought into contact with a portion of the chromatography carrier 30, whereby the liquid L is developed in the chromatography carrier 30 and chromatography is performed.

Examples of the liquid L include a sample liquid containing a substance to be detected in a solvent such as water, a developing liquid, and a liquid containing a labeling substance in a solvent such as water. Said solvent is typically water. As the sample liquid, a sample liquid containing a nucleic acid amplification product can be exemplified. Examples of the developing solution include phosphate buffer, Tris buffer, Good's buffer, SSC buffer and the like. The developing solution may further contain a surfactant. Also, the liquid L may be a mixed liquid in which one or more of a sample liquid, a developing liquid, and a liquid containing a labeling substance are mixed. Moreover, as the liquid L, a liquid containing a coloring reagent or a dye may be used. In the drawings and the following description, the liquids contained in the plurality of containers 40 and the liquid discharged into the internal space 11 are all represented as the liquid L, but the liquids L contained in the plurality of containers 40 are liquids with different compositions. It's okay. Further, the container 40 containing the liquid L other than the sample liquid may be inserted through the hole 12 in advance.

The chromatography carrier 30 installed in the internal space 11 of the housing 10 may be a solid phase carrier, and can be made of resin, metal, polysaccharide, mineral, etc., and can be a membrane, film, nonwoven fabric, plate, or the like. , gel or the like. In the illustrated example, the chromatography carrier 30 is an elongated membrane (strip), but is not limited to this example. Preferably, the chromatography carrier 30 has a porous structure. Specific examples of the chromatography carrier 30 include paper, nitrocellulose membrane, polyethersulfone membrane, nylon membrane, various dried gels (silica gel, agarose gel, dextran gel, gelatin gel), silicon, glass, resin, and the like. is mentioned.

A trapping substance for trapping the substance to be detected can be placed on a portion of the chromatography carrier 30 . For example, when the substance to be detected contains a nucleic acid, a nucleic acid that hybridizes with the nucleic acid can be used as a capturing substance. Antibodies or antigens that are reactive with each other can serve as the capture material.

The substance to be detected is preferably one that can be visually detected on the chromatography carrier 30 . For example, visual detection is possible by labeling a substance to be detected with a visually detectable labeling substance and developing it on the chromatography carrier 30 . Labeling substances that can be visually detected include colored particles, pigments, fluorescent substances, and the like. "Colored particles" include metal (e.g., gold, silver, copper, platinum, etc.) particles, metal nanorods, metal nanoplates, latex particles containing dyes and fluorescent substances, silica nanoparticles containing dyes and fluorescent substances, and the like. be done. The method of labeling the substance to be detected with a visually detectable labeling substance is not particularly limited. For example, when a substance to be detected contains a nucleic acid, a labeling substance to which a nucleic acid that hybridizes with the nucleic acid is linked can be labeled with the labeling substance by bringing it into contact with the substance to be detected. For visual detection, at least part of the wall surrounding the internal space 11 of the housing 10 is made of a material that transmits visible light so that the chromatography carrier 30 can be confirmed from the outside of the housing 10. preferably. In particular, it is preferable that at least the portion 103c of the upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10, which faces the portion where the chromatography carrier 30 is arranged, be formed of a material that transmits visible light.

FIG. 9 shows the structure of the chromatography carrier 30 used in this embodiment. In this example, the chromatographic carrier 30 comprises a liquid receiving portion 31 and a detecting portion 32 . The liquid receiving portion 31 is arranged on one end side of the detecting portion 32, and the liquid L is supplied to this portion. The detection part 32 is a part where the substance to be detected is developed. An absorbent pad 33 is arranged on the other end side of the detection part 32 . A labeling substance holding portion 34 for holding a labeling substance is arranged between the liquid receiving portion 31 and the detecting portion 32 . When the liquid L supplied to the liquid receiving portion 31 contains a substance to be detected, the substance to be detected is labeled with the labeling substance when passing through the labeling substance holding portion 34 and then moves to the detecting portion 32 . However, when the substance to be detected is pre-labeled or when the liquid L contains a labeling substance, the labeling substance holding portion 34 is not necessary, and the liquid receiving portion 31 and the detecting portion 32 are placed adjacent to each other. The liquid receiving part 31 can be omitted. The detecting section 32 is formed with a trapping region 321 in which the trapping substance is arranged for trapping the substance to be detected. The liquid receiving portion 31 , the labeling substance holding portion 34 , the detecting portion 32 , and the absorbent pad 33 can be made of the above materials that can be used as the chromatography carrier 30 . These may be composed of the same member, or may be composed of different members. The liquid receiving portion 31, the labeling substance holding portion 34, the detecting portion 32, and the absorbent pad 33 can be placed on the substrate 35 as shown. The base material 35 can be made of resin, metal, polysaccharide, mineral, or the like, for example. Substrate 35 can be partially or completely omitted. For example, by partially or completely omitting the base material corresponding to the lower part of the liquid receiving part 31, the flexibility of the liquid receiving part 31 is improved and the resistance when pushing the container 40 toward the blade is reduced. can be done. A similar effect can be obtained by using a highly flexible base material. The chromatography carrier 30 is not limited to one having the structure shown in FIG. 9, and one having an appropriate structure can be used according to the purpose of chromatography.

Another example of the chromatography carrier 30 is a chromatography carrier 30 that does not include the liquid receiving portion 31, the labeling substance holding portion 34, the absorbent pad 33, and the base material 35, and is composed only of the detecting portion 32, as shown in FIG. is mentioned. Moreover, although not shown, a chromatography carrier 30 consisting of only the detection part 32 and the base material 35 supporting it can also be used.

In this embodiment, when the chromatography carrier 30 is provided with the labeling substance holding portion 34 in the internal space 11 of the housing 10, the liquid receiving portion 31 contacts the liquid L leaked from the container 40, but detection The portion 32 and the absorbent pad 33 are arranged so as not to come into direct contact with the leaked liquid L. As described above, when the liquid L contains a labeling substance, the labeling substance holding portion 34 can be omitted from the chromatography carrier 30 . Moreover, as described above, the chromatography carrier 30 consisting only of the detection part 32 or the chromatography carrier 30 consisting only of the detection part 32 and the substrate 35 can also be used. When using the chromatography carrier 30 omitting the labeling substance holding part 34, the chromatography carrier 30 consisting only of the detection part 32 shown in FIG. , the liquid L leaking from the container 40 may be arranged so as to be in direct contact with the detection section 32 .

In the following description, the portion of the chromatography carrier 30 that comes into direct contact with the liquid L that has leaked from the container 40 will be referred to as a liquid contact portion 30L.

Inside the internal space 11 of the housing 10 , a carrier installing portion 16 is formed, which is erected from the bottom wall portion 101 toward the internal space 11 and on which the chromatography carrier 30 is installed. The carrier installing section 16 is arranged to place the chromatography carrier 30 between the bottom wall portion 101 and the top wall portion 103 of the housing 10 in the facing direction of the bottom wall portion 101 and the top wall portion 103 and on the top wall portion 103 . It is configured so that it can be installed at a nearer position so as to face the portion 103c of the upper wall portion 103 . A detection part 32 and an absorbent pad 33 of the chromatography carrier 30 are arranged on the upper surface 16 a of the carrier installation part 16 . On the other hand, the liquid contact portion 30L is arranged between the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the blade 13 . The detection part 32 and the absorption pad 33 of the chromatography carrier 30 may be fixed to the upper surface 16a of the carrier installation part 16 with an adhesive or adhesive tape. The upper surface 16a of the carrier installation portion 16 is at a position where the liquid L leaking from the container 40 cut by the blade 13 does not reach. , at a position higher than the position from which the liquid L leaks. The upper surface 16a of the carrier installation portion 16 has a plan view shape corresponding to a portion including the detecting portion 32 and the absorbent pad 33 of the chromatography carrier 30, and in the illustrated example has a shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The carrier setting portion 16 has a plurality of positioning protrusions at positions surrounding the upper surface 16a for restricting movement of the chromatography carrier 30 along the upper surface 16a and positioning the chromatography carrier 30. As shown in FIG. The positioning projections include first positioning projections 16b arranged on both sides in the short direction of the upper surface 16a and second positioning projections 16c arranged at one end in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 16a.

In the illustrated example, the number of holes 12, which are container guiding portions, formed in the support portion 14 of the housing 10 is 2, but may be 1 or 3 or more. It can be set according to the number of containers 40 containing the liquid L to be used. For example, when a sample liquid and a developing liquid are used as the liquid L, two holes 12 are formed. In this case, although not particularly limited, two holes 12, 12 are formed along the development direction at a position facing the position where the chromatography carrier 30 is arranged in the internal space 11, and the hole on the downstream side in the development direction By inserting the container 40 containing the sample liquid into the hole 12 on the upstream side in the developing direction and inserting the container 40 containing the developing liquid into the hole 12 on the upstream side in the developing direction, the amount of the substance to be detected that reaches the detection unit 32 increases. preferable. In addition, when the number of containers 40 is two or more, each container 40 may have a different shape, color tone, or pattern in order to easily distinguish each container, and the liquid L contained in each container 40 may be It may be colored to have different shades. If two or more containers 40 having different shapes are used, each hole 12 may also have a different shape to match each container shape.

The lid 20 is attached to the housing 10 and is configured to cover the support portion 14 of the housing 10 . The lid body 20 is arranged so that, when liquid exists between the support part 14 and the lid body 20, the liquid does not leak out of the testing device 1 under normal use conditions. cover.

In this embodiment, the lid body 20 is composed of a main lid portion 21 and a peripheral lid wall portion 22 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the main lid portion 21 toward the inner surface 21 a of the main lid portion 21 .

At least one of the housing 10 and the lid 20 includes a lid guide portion 50 that guides the lid 20 to the housing 10 .

In this embodiment, in the housing 10, the support portion 14 is formed at a position protruding outward from the upper wall portion 103, and the support portion 14 and the upper wall portion 103 surround the support portion 14 and cover the lid. 20 are connected by a lid attachment portion 15 to which the connection is made.

In this embodiment, the lid guide portion 50 is formed on the housing side threaded portion 51 formed on the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and on the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20. It is composed of a housing-side threaded portion 51 and a lid-side threaded portion 52 that can be screwed together. The housing-side threaded portion 51 and the lid-side threaded portion 52 rotate the lid 20 attached to the housing 10 about the direction X in which the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the lid 20 face each other. When moved, the lid body 20 is guided by the lid guide portion 50 and moves along the direction X toward the support portion 14 of the housing 10 .

In order to make the rotation of the lid body 20 easier, a plurality of grooves 23a extending along the direction X are circumferentially spaced in the outer surface 22b of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid body 20 as shown in the figure. It is preferable to form the non-slip portion 23 with a space. In addition, on the outer surface 21b of the lid main portion 21 of the lid body 20, a mark 21c that allows visual identification of the rotation direction can be formed.

The lid guide portion 50 is not limited to the illustrated threaded portion, and may be in another form. For example, the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are not formed with a threaded portion. Another aspect is that the lid 20 is slidably guided with respect to the housing 10 while the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid 20 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are in contact with each other. In addition, a threaded portion is not formed between the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20. and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are in contact with each other via one or more sealing materials, and the lid 20 is guided with respect to the housing 10. can be exemplified as The sealing material can be made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. Each sealing material may be fixed to one of the outer peripheral surface 15 a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22 a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 .

The blade 13 cuts the containers 40 and 40 supported by the support portion 14 to leak the liquid L from the containers 40 and 40 to a position where it contacts the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 . As the blade 13, in this embodiment, a plate-like blade having a cutting edge portion 131 formed on one side and a base end portion 134 formed on the other side, as shown in FIG. 2, is used. In the vicinity of the cutting edge portion 131, the two side surfaces 132 and 133 are both inclined and intersect at the cutting edge portion 131, but are not limited thereto, and only one of the two side surfaces 132 and 133 is inclined and the other It may be a single-edged blade that intersects at the cutting edge portion 131 while being flat. In the illustrated embodiment, the blades 13 are rectangular plate blades, but plate blades of other shapes such as parallelograms, trapezoids, triangles, circles, etc. are also suitable. In this embodiment, a single blade 13 is used to incise a plurality of containers 40 , 40 , but the present invention is not limited to this, and a blade 13 corresponding to each container may be provided. The blade 13 may be made of any material as long as it has enough strength to cut the containers 40, 40. For example, it can be metal such as steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, ceramics, or resin.

The blade 13 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the housing 10 so as to be arranged within the internal space 11 of the housing 10 . In this embodiment, the blade 13 is arranged and fixed to the inner wall surface 101a of the bottom wall portion 101, which is the wall portion facing the holes 12, 12 in the internal space 11 of the housing 10. Not limited. A fixing portion 17 for fixing the blade 13 is formed on the inner wall surface 101 a of the bottom wall portion 101 . In this embodiment, the fixing portion 17 fixes the base end portion 134 of the blade 13 so as to sandwich the blade 13 from both sides in the thickness direction, and the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 is positioned inside the inner space 11 by the support portion 14 . placed facing the In this embodiment, on the bottom wall portion 101 , the fixing portion 17 is arranged on the same line as the carrier installation portion 16 . When the testing device 1 of this embodiment is placed on a horizontal surface, the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17 is located below the upper surface 16a of the carrier setting portion 16. As shown in FIG. The carrier installing portion 16 and the fixing portion 17 are connected by a connecting portion 18 erected from the bottom wall portion 101 into the internal space 11, and the upper surface 16a of the carrier installing portion 16 and the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17 are connected. are connected by an upper surface 18a of a connecting portion 18 inclined from the upper surface 16a of the carrier setting portion 16 toward the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17. As shown in FIG. Third positioning protrusions 17d are further formed on both sides of the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17 for fixing the blade 13 in the short direction. As the containers 40, 40 are guided from a first position to a second position, which will be described later, the liquid of the chromatography carrier 30 arranged between the blade 13 fixed to the fixing part 17 and the holes 12, 12 When the contact portion 30L moves toward the fixed portion 17, the movement of the liquid contact portion 30L is restricted in the direction in which the containers 40, 40 are guided.

As the container 40, a container that can accommodate the liquid L used in chromatography, can be inserted and supported through the holes 12, 12 of the housing 10, and can be cut with the blade 13 can be used. Container 40 is typically a resin container. The container 40 is preferably a tubular container extending in one direction, closed at one end and having an opening/closing portion at the other end. A container having an open/close portion 41a at an outer end 41 that is the end of the casing 10 and a closed inner end 42 that is the inner end of the housing 10 can be used. The illustrated container 40 having the opening/closing portion 41a at the outer end 41 has a hinge portion 401 and a knob portion 402 which protrude outward at the outline 400 of the outer end 41 in a plan view. Such a container 40 can be exemplified by microtubes used for nucleic acid amplification reactions and biochemical tests.

At positions surrounding the holes 12 , 12 of the supporting portion 14 , the container 40 to be inserted and supported is biased toward the axis along the direction of penetration of each hole 12 , and the inside of each hole 12 of the container 40 is biased. An elastic member 190 is arranged to hold the posture at . Specifically, the elastic members 190 are a pair of elastic members 190 protruding toward the internal space 11 from a pair of opposing positions around each hole 12 on the inner surface 14b of the support portion 14, which is the surface on the internal space 11 side. elastic support pieces 191 and 192. The pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 are arranged such that the surface 191a of one elastic support piece 191 and the surface 192a of the other elastic support piece 192 face each other. A surface 191a of one elastic support piece 191 and a surface 192a of the other elastic support piece 192 are formed to approach each other as the distance along the direction X from the inner surface 14b of the support portion 14 increases. The pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 sandwiches the container 40 inserted through each hole 12 from the sides and urges the container 40 toward the axis along the penetrating direction of each hole 12 to hold the posture. The pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 are elastically deformable, and are pushed open following the shape of the container 40 as the container 40 is pushed toward the blade 13 . Even when the container 40 having a shape that widens toward the end 41 is used, the posture of the container 40 can be stabilized. Also, if the elastic support pieces 191 and 192 are within the elastically deformable range, containers 40 having different widths can be supported and stabilized. In this embodiment, the position of the container 40 with respect to the blade 13 can be stabilized by holding the posture of the container 40 inserted through each hole 12 by means of the elastic member 190 having a pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 . , the leakage amount of the liquid L from the container 40 can be stabilized.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3A to 4C, a mechanism for cutting the containers 40, 40 inserted into and supported by the holes 12, 12 of the support portion 14 with the blade 13 will be described.

FIGS. 3A and 4A show a state in which containers 40 and 40 containing liquid L are inserted into holes 12 and 12 of support section 14 and supported. At this time, the inner ends 42 , 42 of the containers 40 , 40 face the cutting edge 131 of the blade 13 . In this way, the position of the container in a state in which the container is supported by the support portion and one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade is referred to as the "first position".

The containers 40, 40 supported by the holes 12, 12 of the support portion 14 and positioned at the first position are pushed toward the blade 13, and the inner ends 42, 42 of the containers 40, 40 are attached to the fixed portion 17 of the housing 10. 3B and 4B (the state before the liquid L leaks) and FIGS. 3C and 4C (the state after the liquid L leaks) show the state in which they are completely moved until they come into contact with each other. At this time, the containers 40, 40 are incised by the blade 13 from the side of the inner ends 42, 42 of the containers 40, 40. As shown in FIG. In this way, the position of the container in which the container is supported by the support portion, guided by the container guide portion, and moved until it is incised by the blade is referred to as the “second position”. As shown in Figures 3B, 3C, 4B and 4C, in this embodiment the container in the second position abuts a portion of the housing other than the blade.

When the containers 40 , 40 supported by the holes 12 , 12 of the support portion 14 are guided from the first position to the second position, the containers 40 , 40 are cut by the blade 13 to form notches 43 in the containers 40 , 40 . , 43 are formed, and the liquid L accommodated in the containers 40 , 40 leaks through the cuts 43 , 43 to a position where it contacts the liquid contact portion 30 L of the chromatography carrier 30 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 is accommodated in the housing 10 so as to be positioned between the support portion 14 and the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13, so that the containers 40, 40 is incised together with the chromatography carrier 30 by the blade 13 . When the containers 40, 40 are in the first position, the inner ends 42 of the containers 40, 40 and the cutting edge 131 of the blade 13 face each other with the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 interposed therebetween. When the containers 40, 40 supported by the support part 14 are guided and moved from the first position to the second position, the containers 40, 40 move along with the liquid contact part 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 to the side of the inner ends 42, 42. It is cut by the blade 13 to form cuts 43, 43. As shown in FIG. According to this embodiment, the liquid L leaked from the containers 40, 40 easily contacts and permeates the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30. FIG. The testing device 1 having this feature is preferable because it allows the liquid L leaked from the containers 40 , 40 to efficiently contact the chromatography carrier 30 .

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A , the containers 40 and 40 are supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and positioned at the first position, and the lid 20 is attached to the housing 10 . is attached to the cover attachment portion 15 surrounding the support portion 14 of the . At this time, the housing-side threaded portion 51 on the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the lid-side threaded portion 52 on the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are separated. screw together. Thereby, the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the outer portions 40 a of the containers 40 , 40 are covered with the lid 20 . Subsequently, when the lid body 20 is rotated about the direction X in which the support part 14 of the housing 10 and the lid body 20 face each other, the lid body 20 is guided by the lid guide part 50 to move in the direction It moves along X toward the support portion 14 of the housing 10 . During this movement, the main lid portion 21 of the lid 20 comes into contact with the outer ends 41 of the containers 40, 40, pushing the containers 40, 40 toward the blades 13, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. , to the second position shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C.

It should be noted that the inspection device of the present invention does not necessarily have a lid as in the present embodiment. For example, the test device does not have a lid, and the user pushes a container supported by a support part of the housing from outside the housing using an external force generated by operating a fingertip or a device. , the container may be configured to move from the first position to the second position.

The inspection device 1 of this embodiment also has corrugated surfaces 102 d and 102 d formed on at least a portion of the outer surface 102 a of the side wall portion 102 , which corresponds to the side surface of the housing 10 . The wavy surfaces 102d and 102d are surfaces in which a plurality of grooves 102e extending along the direction in which the bottom wall portion 101 and the upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10 face each other are continuously formed. By forming the wavy surfaces 102d, 102d on the outer surface 102a of the side wall portion 102, it is possible to prevent slipping when the user handles the testing device 1 by hand. Further, when a plurality of inspection devices 1 of the present embodiment are prepared and arranged so that the outer surfaces 102a of the side walls 102 of the housing 10 are in contact with each other, the wavy surfaces 102d can be engaged with each other. The wavy surface is an example of an uneven surface, and in the testing device 1 of the present embodiment, uneven surfaces having other shapes may be formed in place of the wavy surfaces 102d and 102d. The uneven surface is a surface in which a plurality of grooves extending in one direction are continuously formed, and a flat surface may be formed between adjacent grooves. The cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of grooves on the uneven surface taken along a plane perpendicular to the extending direction is not particularly limited. Although the wavy surface is illustrated when the cross-sectional shape is curved, the cross-sectional shape may be rectangular, U-shaped, or the like.

<First Feature of Inspection Device of First Embodiment>
The inspection device 1 of the first embodiment is
Let M be the length along the direction in which the containers 40, 40 are guided by the holes 12, 12 (referred to as "guiding direction Y") while being supported by the support part 14,
Let D be the maximum length along the guide direction Y of the cuts 43, 43 formed in the containers 40, 40 when the containers 40, 40 are supported by the support portion 14 and guided from the first position to the second position. when
A first feature is that D/M is 0.2 or more.

Here, the effect of the first feature will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7(3) is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining how difficult it is for the liquid L to leak when the notch 43 is formed only in the portion surrounding the liquid phase L from the inner end 42 of the container 40. 7(4) is a side view of the container 40 shown in FIG. 7(3) as seen from the left side of the figure. The container 40 shown in FIGS. 7(3) and 7(4) in which the cut 43 is formed only in the portion surrounding the liquid phase L is referred to as "Comparative Example 1" for convenience. In the container 40 of Comparative Example 1, the container 40 having a length M along the guiding direction Y contains the liquid L up to a height position of less than 0.2 M from the inner end 42, and the remaining part contains the gas phase G. A notch 43 having a maximum length D along the guiding direction Y is formed from the side of the inner end 42 of the container 40 . In Comparative Example 1, the vertical direction from the inner end 42 of the container 40 to the liquid surface of the liquid L is in a state where the container 40 is supported so that the guiding direction Y is the vertical direction and the inner end 42 is vertically downward. The distance along the direction shall be greater than the maximum length D of the cut 43 . In Comparative Example 1, the container 40 is supported so that the guide direction Y is vertical and the inner end 42 is vertically downward, and the cut 43 is present only in the portion of the container 40 surrounding the liquid phase L. do. In Comparative Example 1, when the liquid L in the container 40 leaks out of the container through the cut 43, the pressure of the gas phase G tends to become negative at the start of leakage, making it difficult for the liquid L to leak out of the container 40 through the cut 43. is. In addition, when the container 40 is a microtube, it is general that there is no ventilation hole other than the notch 43 .

On the other hand, in FIG. 7(1), the test device 1 of the first embodiment having the first feature is used, the container 40 is supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10, and the container 40 is moved from the first position to the second position. Fig. 7(2) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the container 40 in which the notch 43 is formed from the side of the inner end 42 shown in Figs. 3B and 4B when the container 40 is moved; ) is a side view of the container 40 shown in FIG. For the sake of convenience, the container 40 having the cut 43 shown in FIGS. 7(1) and 7(2) is referred to as "Example 1". In the container 40 of Example 1, the container 40 having a length M along the guiding direction Y contains the liquid L from the inner end 42 to a height position less than D, and the remainder contains the gas phase G. A cut of maximum length D along the guiding direction Y is formed from the side of the inner end 42 of the container 40 . At this time, since D is 0.2M or more, if the container 40 is supported so that the guide direction Y is vertical and the inner end 42 is vertically downward, the two upper ends 43A, 43A of the notch 43 are , are located in a portion of the container 40 surrounding the gas phase G, and connect the gas phase G in the container 40 to the outside air. When the liquid L in the container 40 leaks out of the container through the cut 43, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the upper ends 43A, 43A of the cut 43 at the start of leakage. is difficult to become a negative pressure, and the liquid L can smoothly leak out of the container 40 through the cut 43 . To achieve this effect, the liquid L can be contained to a depth less than D, ie at least less than 0.2M.

In the inspection device 1 of the first embodiment, the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 extends linearly and is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the guiding direction Y, so that the notch 43 formed in the container 40 has a symmetrical U-shape as in Example 1, but is not limited to this aspect. As an example, FIG. 7(5) shows an inspection of a structure similar to that of the first embodiment, except that the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 extends linearly and is inclined with respect to the guide direction Y. A notch 43 is formed from the side of the inner end 42 that occurs when the container 40 is supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10 using the device 1 and the container 40 is moved from the first position to the second position. 7(6) is a side view of the container 40 shown in FIG. 7(5) as viewed from the left side of the figure. For the sake of convenience, the container 40 having the cut 43 shown in FIGS. 7(5) and 7(6) is referred to as "second embodiment". In the container 40 of Example 2, the container 40 having a length M along the guiding direction Y contains the liquid L from the inner end 42 to a height position less than D, and the remainder contains the gas phase G. A cut of maximum length D along the guiding direction Y is formed from the side of the inner end 42 of the container 40 . At this time, D is 0.2M or more. In Example 2, the cut 43 is not symmetrical, and when the container 40 is supported so that the guide direction Y is vertical and the inner end 42 is vertically downward, one upper end of the cut 43 43B is positioned vertically above the other upper end 43C. The maximum length D is the length of the notch 43 along the guiding direction Y from the inner edge 42 to the upper edge 43B. If the container 40 of Example 2 is supported so that the guide direction Y is vertical and the inner end 42 is vertically downward, one upper end 43B of the notch 43 surrounds the gas phase G of the container 40. and connects the gas phase G in the container 40 with the outside air. When the liquid L in the container 40 leaks out of the container through the cut 43, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the upper end portion 43B of the cut 43 at the start of leakage. The liquid L can smoothly leak out of the container 40 through the notches 43 because it is difficult to reach pressure.

That is, the containers 40, 40 containing the liquid L to a depth of less than D on one end side and the remainder being the gas phase G have the first feature that D/M is 0.2 or more. The containers 40, 40 are supported by the supporting portion 14 of the testing device 1 of the first embodiment so that the one end faces vertically downward and the guiding direction Y substantially coincides with the vertical direction. When guided from the first position to the second position, the blade 13 forms cuts 43, 43 in the containers 40, 40 up to the portion surrounding the gas phase G. At this time, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the portions of the cuts 43, 43 formed in the containers 40, 43 that connect the gas phase G and the outside of the container. , 40, the gas phase G is unlikely to become a negative pressure at the start of leakage, and the liquid L can smoothly leak out.

In the first characteristic, D/M should be 0.2 or more, preferably 0.3 or more, and more preferably 0.4 or more. Although the upper limit of D/M is not particularly limited, it is usually 0.9 or less.

<Second Feature of Testing Device of First Embodiment>
The inspection device 1 of the first embodiment is
The containers 40, 40 are positioned in the first position such that the liquid L is located on the side of the inner end 42, which is the end facing the cutting edge 131 of the blade 13 of the container 40, 40 in the first position. From the inner end 42 of the container 40, 40 when supported by the support portion 14 of the container 40, 40 to the portion 40L1, 40L1 of the container 40, 40 where the liquid surface L1 is located when the liquid L is stored in the container 40, 40 , the distance along the vertical direction V is A, and the vertical direction of the cuts 43, 43 formed in the containers 40, 40 when the containers 40, 40 are subsequently guided from the first position to the second position When the maximum length along is B,
A second feature is that B is greater than A.
That is, the distance A is the amount of liquid contained in the container from the end of the container when the container is supported by the support so that the end of the container faces vertically downward and is at the first position. Sometimes it can be the distance along the vertical direction to the part where the liquid level is located. Here, "the end of the container faces vertically downward" means that the container is arranged such that the end is positioned downward with respect to the other end so that the liquid in the container can be positioned on the side of the end of the container. is supported on the support portion, and not only supporting the container so that the longitudinal direction of the container substantially coincides with the vertical direction as in Examples 3 and 4 described later, but also in Example 5 described later. Supporting the container such that the longitudinal direction of the container is inclined with respect to the vertical direction is also included. The maximum length B of the cut can be the maximum vertical length of the cut formed in the container when the container is guided from the first position to the second position.

Here, the effect of the second feature will be described with reference to FIGS. 8-1 and 8-2.
FIG. 8-1(3) shows a container containing a liquid L and a gas phase G using a testing device having the same features as the testing device 1 of the first embodiment except that B is A or less. 40 is supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10, and the cut 43 having the maximum length B (less than or equal to A) in the vertical direction V is generated when the container 40 is moved from the first position to the second position. 8-1(4) is a side view of the container 40 shown in FIG. 8-1(3) as seen from the left side of the figure. For convenience sake, the container 40 formed with the cut 43 having the maximum length B in the vertical direction V of A or less as shown in FIGS. When the container 40 of Comparative Example 2 is at the second position in the testing device, the cut 43 exists only in the portion of the container 40 that surrounds the liquid phase L, so the liquid L in the container 40 flows through the cut 43. When leaking out of the container, the pressure of the gas phase G tends to be negative at the start of leakage, and it is difficult for the liquid L to leak out of the container 40 through the cut 43 .

On the other hand, in FIG. 8-1(1), the testing device 1 of the first embodiment having the second feature is used, the container 40 is supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10, and the container 40 is moved from the first position to the second position. Fig. 8-1 (2) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the container 40 in which a cut 43 having a maximum length B (larger than A) in the vertical direction V is formed when the container 40 is moved to the position; 8A is a side view of the container 40 shown in FIG. 8-1(1) as viewed from the left side of the drawing. FIG. The container 40 in which the cut 43 having the maximum length B in the vertical direction V larger than the length A shown in FIGS. When the container 40 of Example 3 is at the second position in the testing device 1 of the first embodiment, the two upper ends 43A, 43A of the cut 43 are both in the portion of the container 40 surrounding the gas phase G. , connecting the gas phase G in the vessel 40 with the outside air. When the liquid L in the container 40 leaks out of the container through the cut 43, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the upper ends 43A, 43A of the cut 43 at the start of leakage. is difficult to become a negative pressure, and the liquid L can smoothly leak out of the container 40 through the cut 43 .

FIG. 8-1(5) shows an inspection blade having the same structure as the first embodiment except that the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 extends linearly and is inclined with respect to the guide direction Y. Using the device 1, the container 40 is supported by the support 14 of the housing 10, and the maximum length B (larger than A) in the vertical direction V that occurs when the container 40 is moved from the first position to the second position 8-1(6) is a side view of the container 40 shown in FIG. 8-1(5) as seen from the left side of the figure. For the sake of convenience, the container 40 in which the cut 43 having the maximum length B in the vertical direction V larger than the length A shown in FIGS. When the container 40 of Example 4 is at the second position in the testing device 1 of the first embodiment, one upper end 43B of the cut 43 is positioned vertically above the other upper end 43C, and One upper end portion 43B of the notch 43 is located in a portion of the container 40 surrounding the gas phase G, and connects the gas phase G inside the container 40 and the outside air. When the liquid L in the container 40 leaks out of the container through the cut 43, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the upper end portion 43B of the cut 43, so the gas phase G is unlikely to become negative pressure. Liquid L can smoothly leak out of container 40 through cut 43 .

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8-1(1) and the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 8-1(5), the longitudinal direction of the container 40 is This is an example of substantially matching the vertical direction. However, in the inspection device 1 having the second feature of the first embodiment of the present invention, the longitudinal direction of the container 40 when supported by the support portion 14 must substantially match the vertical direction. , but may be inclined with respect to the vertical direction. For example, in FIG. 8-2(7), the container 40 is supported on the support portion 14 of the housing 10 so that the longitudinal direction of the container 40 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and the container moves from the first position to the second position. 1A-4C, except that the blade 13 is arranged to form a cut 43 of the shape shown in the container 40. Using the inspection device 1 having the second feature of the first embodiment, the container 40 was supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10, and the container 40 was moved from the first position to the second position. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the container 40 in which the cut|incision 43 of the maximum length B (larger than A) in the vertical direction V which sometimes occurs is formed. The maximum length B in the vertical direction V of the cut 43 shown in FIG. For the sake of convenience, the container 40 in which the cut 43 larger than the distance A is formed will be referred to as "Example 5". When the container 40 of Example 5 is at the second position in the testing device 1 of the present embodiment, the upper end 43D of the cut 43 located vertically upward is in the portion of the container 40 surrounding the gas phase G. , connecting the gas phase G in the vessel 40 with the outside air. When the liquid L in the container 40 leaks out of the container through the cut 43, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the upper end 43D of the cut 43 at the start of leakage, so the gas phase G is negative. The liquid L can smoothly leak out of the container 40 through the notches 43 because it is difficult to reach pressure.

That is, the containers 40, 40 containing the liquid L and the gas phase G are placed on the supporting portion 14 of the inspection device 1 of the first embodiment, which has the second feature that B is larger than A. A step 1 of supporting the liquid L so that it is located on the side of the inner ends 42, 42 that are one end of the liquid L and is at the first position;
When step 2 of guiding the containers 40, 40 from the first position to the second position is performed after step 1,
The blade 13 forms notches 43 , 43 in the containers 40 , 40 up to the portion surrounding the gas phase G. At this time, air is supplied from the outside of the container to the gas phase G through the portions of the cuts 43, 43 formed in the containers 40, 43 that connect the gas phase G and the outside of the container. , 40, the gas phase G is unlikely to become a negative pressure from the start of leakage, and the liquid L can smoothly leak out.

<Another embodiment of the fixed part>
As a suitable modified example of the inspection device 1 of the first embodiment, there is an example in which the fixing portion 17 for fixing the blade 13 has the structure shown in FIG. 5A.

The fixing portion 17 shown in FIG. 5A has a tapered portion 17b formed so that the dimension in the thickness direction of the blade 13 becomes smaller as it approaches the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 .

When using the modification of the testing device 1 of the first embodiment with the fixing portion 17 with the tapered portion 17b, the container 40 is supported by the support portion 14 and guided from the first position to the second position, as shown in FIG. 5B. , the tapered portion 17b of the fixing portion 17 is inserted into the notch 43 formed in the container 40. As shown in FIG. As a result, the width of the opening of the cut 43 is increased, and the leakage of the liquid L contained in the container 40 through the cut 43 becomes smoother.

As another suitable modified example of the testing device 1 of the first embodiment, there is an example in which the fixing portion 17 for fixing the blade 13 has the structure shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

The fixed portion 17 shown in FIG. 6A has a tapered portion 17c formed so that the dimension in the thickness direction of the blade 13 becomes smaller as it approaches the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 . A cross-section of the tapered portion 17c taken along line II in FIG. 6A is shown in FIG. 6B. As shown in FIG. 6B , the tapered portion 17c has, as side surfaces, an uneven surface 17c3 including a portion 17c1 that protrudes in the thickness direction of the blade 13 and a portion 17c2 that is recessed in the thickness direction of the blade 13 .

Using the modification of the testing device 1 of the first embodiment that includes the fixing portion 17 having the tapered portion 17c, the container 40 is supported by the support portion 14 and guided from the first position to the second position. Tapered portion 17 c is inserted into notch 43 formed in container 40 . As a result, the width of the opening of the cut 43 is increased, and the leakage of the liquid L contained in the container 40 through the cut 43 becomes smoother. Further, a gap is formed between the end surface of the cut 43 formed in the container 40 and the uneven surface 17c3 of the tapered portion 17c, so that the liquid L leaks through the cut 43 more smoothly.

A testing device 1 of the above embodiment having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 4C was produced. As the chromatography carrier 30, the chromatography carrier 30 having the structure shown in FIG. 9 and having the liquid receiving part 31, labeling substance holding part 34, detection part 32, and absorption pad 33 arranged on the substrate 35 was used.

The container 40 has an opening/closing portion 41a at an outer end 41 that becomes an outer end of the housing 10 when supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10 provided in the testing device 1, A microtube for biochemical testing with a closed inner end 42 was used. The length M along the guiding direction Y when this container 40 was supported by the supporting portion 14 of the inspection device 1 was 21.5 mm.

The inspection device 1 is installed so that the guiding direction Y coincides with the vertical direction V, and the inner end 42 of the container 40 is supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10 so that it faces vertically downward, and is moved from the first position to the second position. The maximum length D (=B) along the guiding direction Y (=vertical direction V) of the cut 43 formed in the container 40 when guided to the position was 7.5 mm. D/M was 0.349.

The inspection device 1 is installed so that the guiding direction Y coincides with the vertical direction V, and the container 40 containing the developing liquid L for chromatography in the range of 5 to 100 μL and air in the remainder is placed so that the inner end 42 is vertical. The developing liquid L was leaked out and developed by supporting the supporting portion 14 of the housing 10 so as to face downward and guiding the developing liquid L from the first position to the second position. When the developer L was developed on the absorbent pad 33 of the chromatography carrier 30 10 minutes after the container 40 was moved to the second position, it was determined that the development was successful. Twenty tests were performed per fluid volume and the number of successful deployments was recorded. The distance A (liquid level height ) and measurement results of deployment success rate are shown in the following table. It was confirmed that the deployment success rate was 100% under the condition that the maximum length B (7.5 mm) of the cut 43 in the vertical direction was larger than the liquid level height A.

1: test device 10: housing 12: hole (container guide part)
13: blade 131: cutting edge portion 14: support portion 17: fixing portion 17b: tapered portion 17c3: uneven surface 30: chromatography carrier 40: container 42: inner end (one end) of container 40
43: Notch L: Liquid Y: Guide direction V: Vertical direction

Claims (9)

An inspection device,
A housing for housing the chromatography carrier,
The housing is
a support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography;
a blade having a cutting edge for incising a container supported by a support to cause liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier;
With the container being supported, the support part is provided to extend from a first position where one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade to a second position where the container is incised by the blade from the end of the container. , a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed,
Let M be the length along the guiding direction, which is the direction in which the container is guided by the container guide portion, while being supported by the support portion,
When the container is supported by the supporting portion and guided from the first position to the second position, the maximum length of the notch formed in the container along the guiding direction is defined as D,
An inspection device, characterized in that D/M is 0.2 or more. An inspection device,
A housing for housing the chromatography carrier,
The housing is
a support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography;
a blade having a cutting edge for incising a container supported by a support to cause liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier;
With the container being supported, the support part is provided to extend from a first position where one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade to a second position where the container is incised by the blade from the end of the container. , a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed,
The distance along the vertical direction from the end of the container to the portion where the liquid surface is located when the container is held in the container when the container is supported by the support so as to be in the first position. Let A be the maximum length along the vertical direction of the notch formed in the container when the container is subsequently guided from the first position to the second position.
An inspection device, wherein B is greater than A. The blade is a plate-shaped blade with a cutting edge formed on one side and a base end formed on the other side,
A fixing portion is formed on the inner wall surface of the housing to fix the base end of the blade so as to sandwich it from both sides in the thickness direction of the blade,
The fixing part has a tapered portion formed so that the dimension in the thickness direction of the blade becomes smaller as it approaches the cutting edge of the blade,
3. The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tapered portion of the fixing portion is inserted into a notch formed in the container when the container is supported on the support and guided from the first position to the second position. 4. The inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the tapered portion of the fixing portion has an uneven surface protruding and/or recessed in the thickness direction of the blade. The test according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid contact portion of the chromatography carrier that contacts the liquid is housed in the housing so as to be positioned between the support portion and the cutting edge portion of the blade. device. A test device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the chromatographic carrier comprises an absorbent pad, the absorbent pad being arranged so as not to be in direct contact with the leaked liquid. A method of performing chromatography using a test device,
inspection device
a chromatography carrier, and
A housing for housing the carrier,
The housing is
a support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography;
a blade having a cutting edge for incising a container supported by a support to cause liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier;
With the container being supported, the support part is provided to extend from a first position where one end of the container faces the cutting edge of the blade to a second position where the container is incised by the blade from the end of the container. , a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed,
A step 1 of supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography together with a gas phase on a supporting portion of a testing device so as to be at a first position;
after step 1, guiding the container from the first position to the second position;
Let A be the distance in the vertical direction from the end of the container supported by the support in step 1 to the liquid surface in the container,
When the maximum length along the vertical direction of the cut formed in the container in step 2 is B,
A method, wherein B is greater than A. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the liquid contacting portion of the chromatography carrier that contacts the liquid is housed in the housing so as to be positioned between the support portion and the cutting edge portion of the blade. 9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the chromatographic carrier comprises an absorbent pad, the absorbent pad being arranged so as not to come into direct contact with the leaked liquid.

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