JP7553013B2 - Analytical Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flow path plate and an analysis device.

There is a method for analyzing the components contained in the liquid to be measured (measurement target liquid) using a flow channel plate (also called a flow channel chip) that has micro-order flow channels (micro-flow channels) inside. When a flow channel plate is used, generally only a small amount of the measurement target liquid, such as samples and reagents, is required for analysis, and the analysis of the components contained in the measurement target liquid can be performed accurately and quickly with simple operations.

Therefore, it is expected that the flow channel plate will be used for various applications such as clinical testing, food testing, and environmental testing in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, and medicine. In particular, it is expected that the flow channel plate will be used in point-of-care testing (POCT), which allows simple and rapid testing in medical settings such as medical examinations and nursing.

As a flow path plate, for example, an optical analysis device has been disclosed that includes a substrate, a micro flow path having a specimen flow path and a cavity provided within the substrate, an optical waveguide section through which light propagates in the specimen flow path, and an optical path conversion section that converts the optical path of light incident on the cavity from the outside of the substrate to a direction that transmits through a part of the substrate and enters the optical waveguide section (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 6169367

However, in the optical analysis device of Patent Document 1, when the microchannel becomes minute, light is more likely to leak from the microchannel. If the leaked light is received as leaked light, it becomes noise, resulting in a problem of reduced measurement accuracy.

In addition, when an aperture is provided on the surface of the substrate from which light is emitted in order to reduce the effects of leaking light, high positional accuracy is required to place the aperture on the substrate. This means that the aperture must be placed on the substrate with high positional accuracy every time the substrate is replaced, which creates the problem that the liquid to be measured cannot be easily analyzed.

One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a flow path plate that can analyze components contained in a liquid to be measured with high accuracy and ease.

One aspect of the flow path plate according to the present invention is a flow path plate for analyzing components in a liquid to be measured by irradiating a measurement light onto the liquid to be measured flowing therein, the flow path plate comprising a plate-shaped plate body, a flow path through which the liquid to be measured passes and an optical path conversion unit that is provided within the plate body and reflects the measurement light incident on the plate body, the flow path having a detection unit through which the measurement light passes, the optical path conversion unit being provided on the incident side of the detection unit so as to be substantially collinear with the optical axis of the detection unit, and the optical path conversion unit being disposed at a position that does not overlap with the flow path in a plan view of the plate body.

One aspect of the flow channel plate according to the present invention allows for highly accurate and simple analysis of components contained in the liquid to be measured.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a flow path plate according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. This is a cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an analytical device including a flow path plate. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of measurement light. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of a change in the amount of measurement light measured by a light receiving unit. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the amount of measurement light measured by a reference light receiving section. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a change in transmittance of measurement light measured by a light receiving unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a change in absorbance of measurement light measured by a light receiving unit. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a change in corrected transmittance. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a corrected change in absorbance. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the flow path plate. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a flow path plate according to a second embodiment, taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of measurement light in an analysis device equipped with a flow path plate. FIG.

The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. The scale of each member in the drawings may differ from the actual scale. In this specification, a tilde "~" indicating a numerical range means that the numerical values before and after it are included as the lower and upper limits, unless otherwise specified.

[First embodiment]
<Flow path plate>
A flow path plate according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the flow path plate according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the flow path plate, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the flow path plate. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the flow path plate 1A according to this embodiment is formed in a rectangular shape, and after separating components contained in a liquid to be measured, the liquid to be measured is irradiated with measurement light from the outside to analyze the components contained in the liquid to be measured. The flow path plate 1A has a plate-shaped plate body (also called a substrate) 10 and a separation column 20 which is a separation element for separating components in a sample. In the flow path plate 1A, a flow path 11 for passing a sample is formed inside the plate body 10, and the separation column 20 is accommodated in the flow path 11. In addition, a pair of optical path conversion units 12 for switching the optical path of the measurement light are formed inside the plate body 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical path conversion unit 12 is arranged at a position not overlapping with the flow path 11 in a plan view of the plate body 10.

In this specification, a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system with three axial directions (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) is used, with the width direction of the flow path plate defined as the X-axis direction, the depth direction defined as the Y-axis direction, and the height (thickness) direction defined as the Z-axis direction. The direction from bottom to top of the flow path plate is defined as the +Z-axis direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the -Z-axis direction. In the following description, the +Z-axis direction may be referred to as top or upward, and the -Z-axis direction may be referred to as bottom or downward.

Examples of liquids to be measured include substances derived from living organisms (blood, sweat, saliva, urine, etc.), medicines, pharmaceuticals, food additives, synthetic chemical substances (agricultural products, etc.), and environmental load substances (wastewater, wastewater, or groundwater discharged from factories, etc.). In the following explanation, the liquid to be measured may be simply referred to as the sample (test specimen).

(Plate body)
As shown in Fig. 1, the plate body 10 is formed in a plate shape. In a plan view (see Fig. 3), the plate body 10 is formed in a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The plate body 10 is optically transparent. Here, optically transparent means that the plate body 10 has a transmissivity that allows measurement light to pass through the inside of the plate body 10 when the measurement light is irradiated from the outside of the plate body 10. Examples of measurement light include visible light (light with a wavelength of 380 to 780 nm), ultraviolet light, and infrared light.

The plate body 10 has two plate-shaped plates (a first plate-shaped plate 101 and a second plate-shaped plate 102), and is constructed by stacking the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 in the plate thickness direction.

The first plate 101 and the second plate 102 are formed using a material having optical transparency. Examples of the material include olefin resin, acrylic resin, styrene resin, vinyl resin, fluorine resin, engineering plastic, super engineering plastic, thermosetting resin, and glass. The materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of olefin resins include polyethylene resins such as polyethylene (PE), high density polyethylene, and low density polyethylene; polypropylene resins such as polypropylene (PP) and propylene-ethylene copolymer; and cycloolefin resins such as cycloolefin polymer (COP), cycloolefin copolymer (COC), and ethylene-cyclic olefin copolymer. Among these, it is preferable to use cycloolefin resins in terms of ease of production, the wide range of wavelengths through which light can be transmitted, and chemical resistance, and among these, COP and COC are particularly preferable.

COP is a resin obtained by polymerizing monomer components including cycloolefin monomers. The cycloolefin monomers constituting COP are not particularly limited, but are preferably norbornene-based monomers. The norbornene-based monomers may have a norbornene ring, and examples thereof include bicyclic monomers such as norbornene and norbornadiene, tricyclic monomers such as dicyclopentadiene and dihydroxypentadiene, tetracyclic monomers such as tetracyclododecene, pentacyclic monomers such as cyclopentadiene trimer, and heptacyclic monomers such as tetracyclopentadiene, as well as alkyl (methyl, butyl, propyl, butyl, etc.) substituted monomers, alkenyl (vinyl, etc.) substituted monomers, alkylidene (ethylidene, etc.) substituted monomers, and aryl (phenyl, tolyl, naphthyl, etc.) substituted monomers of these polycyclic monomers. Among these, norbornene and tetracyclododecene are particularly preferred.

In addition to the cycloolefin monomer, the COP may contain other monomers that are copolymerizable with the cycloolefin monomer. Examples of the other monomers include linear or branched alkene monomers, such as α-olefins such as ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, isobutene, and 1-hexene.

COP is available, for example, under the trade name ZEONOR (registered trademark).

COC is a copolymer of two or more of the above cycloolefin monomers. COC is available, for example, under the trade name TOPAS (registered trademark), in particular TOPAS (registered trademark) 8007X10 (manufactured by Polyplastics Co., Ltd.).

An example of an acrylic resin is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

Examples of styrene-based resins include polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-styrene resin, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin.

Examples of vinyl resins include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, vinylidene chloride resin, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl acetate, acrylic acid copolymers, and polyvinyl alcohol.

Examples of fluorine-based resins include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), polyvinyl fluoride resin, and polyvinylidene fluoride.

Examples of engineering plastics include polycarbonate (PC) resins; polyacetal (POM) resins; polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polycyclohexylene dimethyl terephthalate; polyphenylene ether (PPE) resins; polyphenylene oxide; and polyamide (PA) resins such as nylon 6, nylon 66, and aromatic polyamides.

Examples of super engineering plastics include polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin, polysulfone (PSF) resin, polyethersulfone (PES), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyarylate resin, aromatic polyester resin, polyimide (PI) resin, polyamideimide (PAI) resin, polyetherimide (PEI) resin, and aramid resin.

Thermosetting resins include epoxy resins, silicone resins, phenolic resins, unsaturated polyester resins, and polyurethane resins.

The first plate 101 and the second plate 102 may be made of any one of the above materials alone or in combination of two or more.

The first plate 101 and the second plate 102 are joined together, for example, by thermocompression bonding or by an adhesive such as ultraviolet curing resin.

The plate body 10 has a flow path 11 through which the sample passes and an optical path conversion section 12 inside.

The flow path 11 has a liquid flow path 111, a separation element storage section 112, and an optical detection cell section (detection section) 113. The optical detection cell section 113 is also called a flow cell. The liquid flow path 111, the separation element storage section 112, and the optical detection cell section 113 are provided inside the flow path plate 1A, and the separation element storage section 112 and the optical detection cell section 113 are provided in parallel along the outer shape of the plate body 10 midway (partly) in the flow path.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first plate 101 and the second plate 102 that constitute the flow path 11 and the optical path conversion unit 12 have holes or grooves formed in shapes corresponding to the flow path 11 and the optical path conversion unit 12.

In this embodiment, the hole of the first plate 101 is formed in a circular shape when viewed from the center line of the hole. A part of the liquid flow path 111 (the first liquid flow path 111-1 and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 described below) is formed in the first plate 101 and the second plate 102, and is formed in the first plate 101 and the second plate 102 by joining the first plate 101 and the second plate 102.

When viewed from the center line of the groove, the grooves of the first plate 101 and the second plate 102 are formed symmetrically in the up-down and left-right directions with respect to a portion of the liquid flow path 111 (the second liquid flow path 111-2 described below) and the separation element storage section 112. In other words, the portion of the liquid flow path 111 (the second liquid flow path 111-2 described below) and the separation element storage section 112 are formed symmetrically with respect to the joining surface between the first plate 101 and the second plate 102 (mirror image relationship).

Of the grooves in the first plate-like plate 101, the grooves that form the other part of the liquid flow path 111 (the third liquid flow path 111-3 and the fourth liquid flow path 111-4, which will be described later) are formed symmetrically in the up-down and left-right directions when viewed from the center line of the grooves in the first plate-like plate 101. In other words, the part of the liquid flow path 111 (the third liquid flow path 111-3 and the fourth liquid flow path 111-4, which will be described later) is formed in the first plate-like plate 101 across the joining surface between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102.

Of the grooves in the first plate-like plate 101, the grooves that form the optical detection cell section 113 are also formed symmetrically in the up-down and left-right directions when viewed from the center line of the groove in the first plate-like plate 101. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the optical detection cell section 113 is formed in the first plate-like plate 101 across the joint surface between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102.

As shown in FIG. 2, among the grooves of the first plate-like plate 101, the grooves that form the optical path conversion section 12 are formed asymmetrically in the up-down direction and symmetrically in the left-right direction when viewed from the center line of the grooves of the first plate-like plate 101. In other words, the optical path conversion section 12 is formed in the first plate-like plate 101 across the joint surface between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102.

As shown in FIG. 1, a flow path 11 and an optical path conversion section 12 are formed by joining a first plate-like plate 101 and a second plate-like plate 102. In this way, the flow path 11 is provided inside the plate body 10 and functions as a passage for the sample to pass through the plate body 10.

The liquid flow path 111, which constitutes the main part of the flow path, is designed to have a diameter of, for example, several nm to several hundred μm. In this embodiment, the size of the diameter (inner diameter) of the liquid flow path 111 is the length of the diameter of the aperture if the aperture is circular, and is the length of the diagonal if the aperture is rectangular.

The inlet 15 and outlet 16 of the liquid flow path 111 are provided on the same main surface side in the +Z axis direction of the first plate-like plate 101, as shown in FIG. 1. The inlet 15 and outlet 16 are provided to face each other on the side of the main surface of the first plate-like plate 101 in the -X axis direction, as viewed from above of the flow path plate 1A. The inlet 15 and outlet 16 are each formed in a substantially circular shape, as shown in FIG. 3, as viewed from above of the flow path plate 1A.

1, the liquid flow path 111 has a first liquid flow path 111-1, a second liquid flow path 111-2, a third liquid flow path 111-3, a fourth liquid flow path 111-4, and a fifth liquid flow path 111-5. The liquid flow path 111 has a folded structure from the inlet 15 to the outlet 16, with the separation element housing section 112 and the optical detection cell section 113 in between, in a plan view of the flow path plate 1A (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 1, the first liquid flow path 111-1 is formed approximately perpendicular to the thickness direction (-Z axis direction) of the flow path plate 1A from the inlet 15. The first liquid flow path 111-1 extends from the inlet 15 along the -Z axis direction to the boundary between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102, and is connected to the second liquid flow path 111-2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second liquid flow path 111-2 connects the first liquid flow path 111-1 and the separation element housing portion 112. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the second liquid flow path 111-2 extends from the first liquid flow path 111-1 in the +X-axis direction of the flow path plate 1A along the boundary portion between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102, and is connected to the separation element housing portion 112.

As shown in FIG. 1, the third liquid flow path 111-3 connects the adjacent separation element housing portion 112 and the optical detection cell portion 113. In this embodiment, the third liquid flow path 111-3 extends from the separation element housing portion 112 along the boundary portion between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 in the +X-axis direction of the flow path plate 1A, and is connected to the optical detection cell portion 113.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 connects the optical detection cell portion 113 and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5. In this embodiment, the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 connects from the optical detection cell portion 113 to the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 in the -X axis direction of the flow path plate 1A along the boundary portion between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 is formed approximately perpendicular to the thickness direction (+Z-axis direction) of the flow path plate 1A from the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 toward the outlet 16. The fifth liquid flow path 111-5 extends from the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 along the +Z-axis direction to the outlet 16 and is connected to the outlet 16.

The cross sections of the first liquid flow path 111-1, the second liquid flow path 111-2, and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 are all formed to be approximately circular in the direction perpendicular to the liquid flow. The cross sections of the third liquid flow path 111-3 and the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 are formed to be approximately rectangular in the direction perpendicular to the liquid flow.

The cross sections of the first liquid flow path 111-1 and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 are formed larger than the cross sections of the second liquid flow path 111-2, the third liquid flow path 111-3, and the fourth liquid flow path 111-4. During analysis, a supply pipe that supplies liquid is inserted into the first liquid flow path 111-1 from the inlet 15, and a discharge pipe that discharges liquid is inserted into the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 from the outlet 16. Therefore, if the cross sections of the first liquid flow path 111-1 and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 are formed larger, it becomes easier to insert the supply pipe and discharge pipe into the first liquid flow path 111-1 and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inlet 15 and the outlet 16 are provided on the side of the flow path plate 1A in the negative X-axis direction in a plan view of the flow path plate 1A. The inlet 15 and the outlet 16 are provided so as to be approximately symmetrical with respect to a center line that passes through approximately the middle of the side of the flow path plate 1A in the Y-axis direction and is parallel to the side of the flow path plate 1A in the X-axis direction (the side perpendicular to the side in the X-axis direction).

As shown in FIG. 1, the separation element storage section 112 is a space that stores the separation column 20. The separation element storage section 112 is provided in the liquid flow path 111 upstream of the optical detection cell section 113, and is provided along the flow path 11 in a part of the flow path 11 (between the second liquid flow path 111-2 and the third liquid flow path 111-3). The separation element storage section 112 is formed in the plate body 10 so as to straddle the bonding surface (joining surface) of the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102. The separation element storage section 112 is formed by the groove portion 101a of the first plate-like plate 101 and the groove portion 102a of the second plate-like plate 102 by sandwiching the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102. The separation element storage section 112 can be designed appropriately according to the size of the separation column 20. Details of the separation column 20 will be described later.

The optical detection cell portion 113 is a space into which light is irradiated. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical detection cell portion 113 is provided perpendicular to a part of the flow path 11 (between the third liquid flow path 111-3 and the fourth liquid flow path 111-4) through which the sample passes. The optical detection cell portion 113 is provided in the first plate-like plate 101 in the plate body 10 along the Y-axis direction of the plate body 10. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along II-II in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the optical detection cell portion 113 is formed on the bonding surface side of the first plate-like plate 101 with the second plate-like plate 102. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical detection cell portion 113 is formed by the groove portion 101b of the first plate-like plate 101 and the bonding surface of the second plate-like plate 102 by sandwiching the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the optical detection cell section 113 has a liquid inlet 113a and outlet 113b on an inner wall perpendicular to the incident direction of the measurement light. In a plan view of the flow path plate 1A, the inlet 113a is located on the inner wall on the -X-axis side of the end of the optical detection cell section 113 in the -Y-axis direction, and the outlet 113b is located on the inner wall on the -X-axis side of the end of the optical detection cell section 113 in the +Y-axis direction. In a plan view of the flow path plate 1A, the optical detection cell section 113 is connected to the third liquid flow path 111-3 at the inlet 113a, and is connected to the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 at the outlet 113b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical detection cell unit 113 is formed in a rectangular shape with its long sides in the Y-axis direction and its short sides in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical detection cell unit 113 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in a plan view, and as shown in FIG. 4, it is formed in a square shape when viewed in the axial direction.

The size of the optical detection cell 113 can be set appropriately depending on the amount of sample used in the test and the concentration of components contained in the sample, and the length of the optical detection cell 113 is not particularly limited and may be freely designed to any length. The optical detection cell 113 is formed to a size that allows the liquid and measurement light to pass through when viewed in the axial direction, and is formed in a space having a cross-sectional area larger than that of the liquid flow path 111 when viewed in the axial direction, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The size of the optical detection cell 113 when viewed in the axial direction can be set appropriately depending on the amount of the measurement target liquid used in the test and the concentration of components contained in the measurement target liquid. The size of the optical detection cell 113 when viewed in the axial direction can be set by adjusting the size of the groove 101b of the first plate 101. Note that the groove 101b only needs to be formed to a size that allows the liquid and measurement light to pass through, and the cross-sectional shape is not limited to a square, and may be a polygon other than a square, a circle, or the like.

The optical path conversion section 12 is a space that can function as a prism that reflects the measurement light incident on the plate body 10 and converts the optical path. The optical path conversion section 12 is formed in the first plate-like plate 101 in the plate body 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical path conversion section 12 is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the flow path 11 in a plan view of the plate body 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical path conversion unit 12 is composed of a pair of optical path conversion units 12A and 12B. The pair of optical path conversion units 12A and 12B are arranged to sandwich the optical detection cell unit 113 between them, and are arranged so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell unit 113 through the optical detection cell unit 113.

The optical path conversion unit 12A is provided on the incident side of the optical detection cell unit 113 so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell unit 113. The optical path conversion unit 12A is also provided so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 41 (see FIG. 6). The optical path conversion unit 12A is formed by sandwiching the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102, and by the groove portion 101c of the first plate-like plate 101 and the joint surface of the second plate-like plate 102.

The optical path conversion unit 12B is provided on the output side of the optical detection cell unit 113 so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell unit 113. The optical path conversion unit 12B is formed by sandwiching the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102, and by the groove portion 101d of the first plate-like plate 101 and the joint surface of the second plate-like plate 102.

It is preferable that at least one of the optical path conversion unit 12A and the optical path conversion unit 12B has a projected area in the axial direction that is equal to or less than the projected area of the optical detection cell unit 113 in the axial direction. If the optical path conversion unit 12A is configured so that its projected area in the axial direction is equal to or less than the projected area of the optical detection cell unit 113 in the axial direction, it is preferable because it is easier to reflect the measurement light incident on the plate body 10 more efficiently into the optical detection cell unit 113. If the optical path conversion unit 12B is configured so that its projected area in the axial direction is equal to or less than the projected area of the optical detection cell unit 113 in the axial direction, it is possible to efficiently reflect the measurement light passing through the optical detection cell unit 113. In addition, it is possible to suppress the reception of the measurement light that has not passed through the optical detection cell unit 113. In order to allow the measurement light incident on the plate body 10 to pass through the optical detection cell section 113 and be efficiently received outside, it is preferable that both the optical path conversion section 12A and the optical path conversion section 12B are configured so that their projected areas when viewed in the axial direction are equal to or smaller than the projected area when viewed in the axial direction of the optical detection cell section 113.

(Separation column)
1, the separation column 20 is disposed in the separation element housing portion 112, and is housed in a state in which it is sandwiched between a first plate-like plate 101 and a second plate-like plate 102. The separation column 20 separates components in a liquid, and for example, a separation column for liquid chromatography is used.

The separation column 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The separation column 20 has a porous stationary phase inside. The stationary phase separates the components contained in the liquid due to differences in interactions (e.g., hydrophobic interactions, ion exchange, etc.) with each component contained in the liquid passing through the stationary phase. For example, the stationary phase separates the components contained in the liquid by utilizing differences in migration speed based on differences in the adsorptivity and distribution coefficients of the components contained in the liquid. If the liquid is, for example, blood, the stationary phase separates the components contained in the blood according to the molecular size and charge state.

The stationary phase can be formed of a porous body or an aggregate of fine particles. The material of the stationary phase is selected from inorganic materials, organic materials, etc. depending on the type of liquid and the type of components to be separated. The stationary phase can include a monolith structure made of an inorganic material, an organic material, etc. The size of the voids or pores of the monolith structure, or a combination of these, can be adjusted appropriately according to the purpose. As the monolith structure, an inorganic material such as a silica monolith is preferably used.

The size of the separation column 20 can be designed to be optimal depending on the amount of sample used in the test and the concentration of components contained in the sample, and the length of the separation column 20 can be any length.

(Method of Manufacturing Flow Channel Plate)
Next, an example of a manufacturing method of the flow channel plate 1A according to this embodiment will be described. First, grooves or holes constituting the flow channel 11 and the optical path conversion section 12 of the flow channel plate 1A are formed on the respective joining surfaces of two rectangular plates. This results in a first plate-like plate 101 and a second plate-like plate 102. The grooves and holes of the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 may be formed by injection molding, press processing, or the like, or may be formed by processing with a laser or the like.

Next, the separation column 20 is placed and attached in the groove 102a of the second plate 102. The groove 102a that constitutes the separation element housing 112 and the optical detection cell 113 is shaped so that the opening on the main surface side of the second plate 102 is the largest, so that the separation column 20 can be attached from the main surface side. Therefore, the separation column 20 can be easily installed on the second plate 102.

Next, the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 are overlapped with each other so that the bonding surfaces of the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 face each other, so that the positions of the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 do not shift. After that, the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 are bonded together, for example, by thermocompression bonding. This results in the flow path plate 1A according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 being obtained.

In this way, the flow path plate 1A has a flow path 11 and an optical path conversion section 12A within the plate body 10, the flow path 11 has an optical detection cell section 113 in the middle, and the optical path conversion section 12A is arranged so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the flow path 11 when viewed from above the plate body 10.

The flow path plate 1A is provided with the optical path conversion section 12A arranged so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113, so that the measurement light irradiated from outside into the plate body 10 can be reflected by the optical path conversion section 12A to change the optical path by approximately 90° and irradiated onto the optical detection cell section 113. As a result, the flow path plate 1A can irradiate the measurement light onto the measurement target liquid that has flowed into the optical detection cell section 113, so that the components of the measurement target liquid flowing through the optical detection cell section 113 can be easily and accurately analyzed by receiving only the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell section 113 externally.

The flow path plate 1A is arranged so that the optical path conversion section 12A does not overlap with the flow path 11 in a plan view of the plate body 10, so that the measurement light irradiated from the outside into the plate body 10 can be reflected by the optical path conversion section 12A without passing through the flow path 11 and irradiated onto the optical detection cell section 113. Therefore, the flow path plate 1A can improve the analytical accuracy of the components of the liquid to be measured passing through the optical detection cell section 113.

Therefore, by using the flow path plate 1A, the components of the liquid to be measured can be analyzed with high accuracy and ease.

In addition, by arranging the optical path conversion section 12A of the flow path plate 1A so that it is approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113, even if the flow path 11 forms a horizontal flow path to increase the flow path length, only the measurement light irradiated from the outside into the plate body 10 can be reflected by the optical path conversion section 12A and pass through the optical detection cell section 113, thereby maintaining the analytical accuracy of the liquid to be measured.

Furthermore, by arranging the optical path conversion section 12A so that it is approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113, the flow path plate 1A can suppress irradiation of the measurement light onto the liquid flow path 111, thereby reducing leakage of the measurement light into the liquid flow path 111. If leakage light leaking from the optical detection cell section 113 is received externally, it may become noise, which may affect the analytical accuracy of the liquid to be measured. Since the flow path plate 1A can reduce leakage light being received externally and becoming noise, the measurement accuracy of the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell section 113 can be stably maintained.

In addition, by arranging the optical path conversion section 12A of the flow path plate 1A so that it is approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113, even when the measurement light is irradiated from above or below the plate body 10, the optical path of the measurement light incident on the plate body 10 can be changed to the optical detection cell section 113 side, and the irradiated light can be irradiated onto the measurement target liquid flowing within the optical detection cell section 113, thereby maintaining the analytical accuracy of the measurement target liquid.

In addition, the flow path plate 1A is configured so that the optical path conversion section 12A is substantially collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113, thereby preventing measurement light that does not pass through the optical detection cell section 113 from being received externally. Therefore, the flow path plate 1A can be constructed without limiting the materials that form the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102.

In addition, in the flow path plate 1A, the projected area of the optical path conversion section 12A when viewed in the axial direction can be equal to or less than the projected area of the optical detection cell section 113 when viewed in the axial direction. This allows the flow path plate 1A to more reliably reflect the measurement light incident on the plate body 10 into the optical detection cell section 113 by the optical path conversion section 12A. The flow path plate 1A can more stably irradiate and reflect the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell section 113 to the optical path conversion section 12B, allowing the components of the liquid to be measured to be analyzed stably.

In the flow path plate 1A, the optical path conversion section 12 is composed of a pair of optical path conversion sections 12A and 12B, and the pair of optical path conversion sections 12A and 12B can be arranged so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113 via the optical detection cell section 113. In the flow path plate 1A, the measurement light reflected by the optical path conversion section 12A and passing through the optical detection cell section 113 is reflected by the optical path conversion section 12B, and the optical path is changed by about 90°, so that the measurement light can be emitted to the outside. Therefore, the flow path plate 1A can more easily and stably analyze the components in the sample flowing in the optical detection cell section 113 without having to adjust the irradiation position of the measurement light with high precision.

In addition, the flow path plate 1A has a pair of optical path conversion sections 12A and 12B arranged so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113 via the optical detection cell section 113, thereby preventing the measurement light from being irradiated onto the liquid flow path 111, and thus further reducing the leakage of the measurement light into the liquid flow path 111 as leakage light. Therefore, the flow path plate 1A can further reduce the leakage light from being received externally and becoming noise, and therefore can more stably maintain the measurement accuracy of the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell section 113.

Furthermore, the flow path plate 1A has a pair of optical path conversion parts 12A and 12B arranged so as to be approximately collinear with the optical axis of the optical detection cell part 113 through the optical detection cell part 113. Even if the flow path 11 forms a horizontal flow path to increase the flow path length, only the measurement light that passes through the optical detection cell part 113 can be reflected by the optical path conversion part 12B and emitted to the outside, so the analysis accuracy of the liquid to be measured can be maintained. When an aperture or the like is provided on the outlet side of the measurement light of the plate body 10 to reduce the influence of leakage light caused by the measurement light leaking into the liquid flow path 111, the aperture needs to be installed with high accuracy on the outlet side of the measurement light of the plate body 10, and the aperture needs to be installed on the plate body 10 with high positional accuracy every time the plate body 10 is replaced. In addition, this leads to an increase in the number of parts and assembly labor required to install the aperture. According to this embodiment, the flow path plate 1A is provided with a pair of optical path conversion sections 12A and 12B that are arranged approximately in line with the optical axis of the optical detection cell section 113 through the optical detection cell section 113, thereby reducing the effect of leakage light from the optical detection cell section 113 on the analysis of the liquid to be measured without providing a separate component such as an aperture on the outlet side of the optical detection cell section 113.

In addition, the flow path plate 1A can be arranged so that the optical path conversion section 12B does not overlap with the flow path 11 when viewed in a plan view of the plate body 10, so that the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell section 113 can be emitted from the plate body 10 and received outside without passing through the flow path 11.

Furthermore, in the flow path plate 1A, the projected area of the optical path conversion section 12B when viewed in the axial direction can be made equal to or smaller than the projected area of the optical detection cell section 113 when viewed in the axial direction, similar to the optical path conversion section 12A. This allows the flow path plate 1A to more reliably reflect the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell section 113 to the outside at the optical path conversion section 12B. In addition, since it is possible to suppress reception of measurement light that does not pass through the optical detection cell section 113, the components of the liquid to be measured can be analyzed more stably.

The flow path plate 1A can have a separation element housing section 112 in the flow path 11 upstream of the optical detection cell section 113 in the plate body 10, and a separation column 20 in the separation element housing section 112. Since the flow path plate 1A can separate components in the measurement target liquid flowing in the optical detection cell section 113, the measurement target liquid from which the components have been separated can be supplied to the optical detection cell section 113 in a short time by separating the components in the measurement target liquid in the separation column 20. In addition, since the flow path 11 in the plate body 10 of the flow path plate 1A has the separation column 20 and the optical detection cell section 113, the separation and measurement of components in the measurement target liquid can be easily performed in a short time in the plate body 10, and the device configuration can be simplified.

The flow path plate 1A has a plate body 10 composed of two plate-shaped plates (a first plate-shaped plate 101 and a second plate-shaped plate 102), and the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 have grooves corresponding to the liquid flow paths 111. Therefore, by bonding the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 together, it is possible to easily obtain a plate body 10 having a liquid flow path 111 formed therein. In addition, when the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 are produced by injection molding, the mold can also be easily manufactured.

Since the flow path plate 1A has a plate body 10 formed of two plate-shaped plates (first plate 101 and second plate 102), the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 can be easily aligned. That is, when joining the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 constituting the plate body 10, the flow path plate 1A only requires fitting the separation column 20 into the groove portion 101a of the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the groove portion 102a of the second plate-shaped plate 102, and fitting the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102 around the separation column 20. This reduces the positional deviation of the joining surfaces of the first plate-shaped plate 101 and the second plate-shaped plate 102. In addition, it is possible to prevent the shape of the joining surfaces from being deformed in cross section due to the positional deviation.

The flow path plate 1A can be installed so that the optical detection cell section 113 is formed so that its axial direction is parallel to one of the main surfaces of the plate body 10 and faces the pair of optical path conversion sections 12A and 12B. This allows the flow path plate 1A to pass measurement light along the flow direction (Y-axis direction) of the sample flowing through the optical detection cell section 113.

The flow path plate 1A forms the optical detection cell section 113 with the groove section 101b (see FIG. 2) of the first plate-like plate 101 and the joint surface of the second plate-like plate 102. As a result, the optical axis of the measurement light reflected toward the optical detection cell section 113 by the optical path conversion section 12A is not positioned at the joint surface (boundary) between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102. This makes it possible to suppress scattering of the measurement light at the joint surface, thereby reducing errors in the measurement value of the measurement light received externally.

The flow path plate 1A has an inlet 113a and an outlet 113b on the inner wall of the optical detection cell 113. This allows the liquid to be measured that has flowed through the liquid flow path 111 (third liquid flow path 111-3) to flow into the inside of the optical detection cell 113 from the inner wall side. It also allows the liquid to flow out from the inner wall surface side of the optical detection cell 113 to the liquid flow path 111 (fourth liquid flow path 111-4). Therefore, the direction of the liquid to be measured flowing into and out of the optical detection cell 113 can be made perpendicular to the direction of the measurement light passing through the optical detection cell 113. Therefore, when viewed from the direction of incidence of the measurement light to the optical detection cell 113, the liquid flow path 111 does not exist in the direction. Therefore, the flow path plate 1A can prevent the liquid flow path 111 from interfering with the path of the measurement light irradiated into the optical detection cell 113.

In this way, the flow channel plate 1A according to this embodiment has the above-mentioned characteristics, and therefore can easily and accurately analyze blood components such as proteins and nucleic acids contained in blood, chemical substances contained in wastewater discharged from factories, and components contained in groundwater, etc., in trace amounts of substances. Therefore, the flow channel plate 1A can be suitably used in clinical testing, food testing, environmental testing, or in medical settings such as medical examinations and nursing care settings. In particular, it can be effectively used for POCT.

<Analysis equipment>
Next, an example of an analysis method for analyzing components in a liquid to be measured (sample) using an analysis device using the flow path plate 1A according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an analysis device equipped with the flow path plate 1A, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of measurement light. As shown in FIG. 6, the analysis device 40A has the flow path plate 1A, a light irradiation unit 41, a lens unit 42, a light receiving unit 43, a reference light receiving unit 44, a control unit 45, and a display unit 46. As shown in FIG. 7, in the analysis device 40A, the measurement light is irradiated from the light irradiation unit 41 toward the plate body 10. In the analysis device 40A, it is preferable that the measurement light from the light irradiation unit 41 is irradiated so that the irradiation area A (see FIG. 3) of the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 41 does not overlap with the flow path 11 in a plan view of the plate body 10 and is larger than the projected area of the light path conversion unit 12A. That is, it is preferable that the light path conversion unit 12A is located inside the irradiation area A (see FIG. 3) in a plan view of the plate body 10. A part of the optical path conversion section 12A may be located inside the irradiation area A (see FIG. 3) in a plan view of the plate body 10.

As shown in FIG. 6, the light irradiation unit 41 is provided above the optical path conversion unit 12A (in the +Z-axis direction) and irradiates measurement light toward the optical path conversion unit 12A of the flow path plate 1A. As the light irradiation unit 41, for example, a known light source such as an LED, a tungsten lamp, or a laser can be used.

The lens unit 42 has the function of converging or collimating the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiating unit 41 and passing through the plate body 10, thereby suppressing the spread of the measurement light. The lens unit 42 may be composed of a group of multiple lenses. The lens unit 42 may also be provided between the light irradiating unit 41 and the plate body 10, and may suppress the spread of the measurement light incident on the plate body 10 from the light irradiating unit 41.

The lens portion 42 is preferably provided inside the plate body 10 and is formed integrally within the plate body 10. In this case, a groove corresponding to the lens portion 42 is formed in a mold or the like for molding the plate body 10. This allows the lens portion 42 to be formed integrally with the flow path 11 within the plate body 10 when the plate body 10 is manufactured. Therefore, the lens portion 42 can be used integrally with the plate body 10 without being provided as a separate part from the plate body 10.

As shown in FIG. 6, the light receiving unit 43 is provided above the optical path conversion unit 12B (in the +Z-axis direction). The light receiving unit 43 receives and detects the measurement light that is irradiated from the light irradiating unit 41 and passes through the optical path conversion unit 12 and the optical detection cell unit 113 in the flow path plate 1A. The light receiving unit 43 is provided opposite the light irradiating unit 41 via the optical detection cell unit 113 so that the optical axis of the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiating unit 41 and the optical axis of the measurement light received by the light receiving unit 43 are approximately collinear.

As shown in FIG. 6, the reference light receiving unit 44 is provided on the opposite side (-Z axis direction) of the plate body 10 from the light irradiating unit 41. The reference light receiving unit 44 receives and detects the measurement light that is irradiated from the light irradiating unit 41 and passes through the plate body 10.

The light receiving unit 43 and the reference light receiving unit 44 may be any detector capable of detecting the measurement light, and any known detector may be used. The light receiving unit 43 and the reference light receiving unit 44 are each connected to the control unit 45 via wiring 47.

The control unit 45 analyzes the sample that has passed through the optical detection cell 113 of the flow path plate 1A based on the detection results of the measurement light detected by the light receiving unit 43 and the reference light receiving unit 44. The control unit 45 corrects the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 based on the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the reference light receiving unit 44. Examples of the measurement value include the amount of light, transmittance, and absorbance of the measurement light.

As a method for correcting the measured value of the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43, for example, the control unit 45 compares the amount of measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 as shown in FIG. 8 with the amount of measurement light measured by the reference light receiving unit 44 as shown in FIG. 9, and calculates the fluctuation rate of the amount of light measured by the light receiving unit 43 relative to the amount of light measured by the reference light receiving unit 44. Then, the control unit 45 calculates the transmittance of the measurement light as shown in FIG. 10 and the absorbance as shown in FIG. 11 from the amount of measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43. The control unit 45 multiplies the calculated transmittance (see FIG. 10) and absorbance (see FIG. 11) of the measurement light by the fluctuation rate to obtain the corrected transmittance of the measurement light as shown in FIG. 12 and the corrected absorbance of the measurement light as shown in FIG. 13. This allows the control unit 45 to obtain the transmittance and absorbance with suppressed fluctuation. Therefore, the control unit 45 can obtain stable transmittance and absorbance by correcting the transmittance and absorbance of the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 based on the amount of measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 and the amount of measurement light measured by the reference light receiving unit 44.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 45 transmits the analysis results obtained by correcting the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 to the display unit 46.

The display unit 46 displays the analysis results sent from the control unit 45, as shown in FIG. 6.

When the flow path plate 1A is inserted into the main body (not shown) of the analysis device 40A, the position of the flow path plate 1A is fixed within the analysis device 40A. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, a supply pipe 48 for supplying the sample is automatically inserted into the inlet 15, and a discharge pipe 49 for discharging the sample is automatically inserted into the outlet 16. Then, the sample is injected from the supply pipe 48 into the inlet 15.

The sample flows from the inlet 15 through the first liquid flow path 111-1 in the thickness direction of the flow path plate 1A, and then passes through the second liquid flow path 111-2 and is supplied to the separation element housing portion 112. As the sample passes through the separation column 20 in the separation element housing portion 112, the components in the sample are separated in the separation column 20. The sample whose components have been separated in the separation column 20 is then supplied from the separation element housing portion 112 to the optical detection cell portion 113 through the third liquid flow path 111-3.

When the sample is supplied to the optical detection cell portion 113, the sample flows through the optical detection cell portion 113. After passing through the optical detection cell portion 113, the sample flows through the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 to the outlet 16 and is discharged from the outlet 16.

At this time, before or while the sample flows through the optical detection cell section 113, the light irradiation section 41 irradiates the inside of the plate body 10 with measurement light. The measurement light irradiated from the light irradiation section 41 is reflected by the optical path conversion section 12A, which changes the optical path by approximately 90° toward the optical detection cell section 113, and is irradiated so as to pass through the optical detection cell section 113. The measurement light passes through the optical detection cell section 113, is reflected by the optical path conversion section 12B, which changes the optical path by approximately 90° toward the light receiving section 43, and after the optical path is narrowed by the lens section 42, it is received by the light receiving section 43 and detected.

On the other hand, the measurement light that is not reflected by the optical path conversion unit 12A and passes through the plate body 10, and the measurement light that does not pass through the optical path conversion unit 12A and passes through the plate body 10, are received and detected by the reference light receiving unit 44 after passing through the plate body 10.

The detection results regarding the measurement values, such as the amount of measurement light, detected by the light receiving unit 43 and the reference light receiving unit 44 are sent to the control unit 45 via wiring 47. The control unit 45 then corrects the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 based on the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the reference light receiving unit 44, corrects the analysis result of the sample that passed through the optical detection cell unit 113, and obtains a corrected measurement value (e.g., transmittance or absorbance). The control unit 45 transmits the corrected measurement value to the display unit 46 and displays it on the display unit 46.

The analysis device 40A includes a flow path plate 1A, a light irradiation unit 41, and a light receiving unit 43. Of the measurement light reflected by the light path conversion unit 12A of the flow path plate 1A and passing through the optical detection cell unit 113, only the measurement light reflected by the light path conversion unit 12B is received by the light receiving unit 43. Therefore, the analysis device 40A can receive only the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell unit 113 at the light receiving unit 43. Of the measurement light reflected by the light path conversion unit 12A, the measurement light reflected in a direction that does not pass through the optical detection cell unit 113 is emitted to the outside. The measurement light that leaks from the optical detection cell unit 113 on the way to the optical detection cell unit 113 is emitted to the outside. Therefore, the light receiving unit 43 can receive only the measurement light that has passed through the optical detection cell unit 113 among the measurement light reflected by the light path conversion units 12A and 12B. Therefore, the analysis device 40A can analyze the measurement target liquid supplied to the flow path plate 1A with high accuracy.

The analysis device 40A can also be configured such that the optical detection cell section 113 is located at the position of the first plate 101 and does not straddle the joint surface between the first plate 101 and the second plate 102. If light is irradiated onto the joint surface between the first plate 101 and the second plate 102, this may adversely affect the analysis. The analysis device 40A ensures that the optical axis connecting the pair of optical path conversion sections 12A and 12B, through which the measurement light reflected by the optical path conversion section 12A passes, does not pass through the joint surface, so that the analysis of the measurement target liquid flowing within the optical detection cell section 113 can be stably performed.

The analysis device 40A can be provided with a reference light receiving unit 44 on the opposite side (-Y axis direction) to the light irradiation unit 41. This allows the analysis device 40A to receive the measurement light that has passed through the plate body 10 without passing through the optical path conversion unit 12A at the reference light receiving unit 44. The measurement light received at the reference light receiving unit 44 can be used as reference light. The analysis device 40A can correct the measurement value (e.g., transmittance, absorbance) of the measurement light received at the light receiving unit 43 by comparing the measurement light received at the light receiving unit 43 with the measurement light received at the reference light receiving unit 44. In general, the measurement light is irradiated to the optical detection cell unit 113 while a reference solution (reference solution) is passed through the flow path 11, and the obtained light amount is calculated in advance as a reference value. Then, the measurement target liquid is passed through the flow path 11, the measurement light is irradiated to the optical detection cell unit 113, and the obtained light amount is compared with the reference value to measure the transmittance and absorbance of the measurement target liquid. In this case, if the amount of measurement light irradiated from outside changes, the amount of light of the liquid to be measured cannot be measured accurately because it is affected by the change in the amount of light. The analysis device 40A can improve the accuracy of the measurement value of the measurement light received by the light receiving unit 43 by correcting the measurement value received by the light receiving unit 43 using the measurement value received by the reference light receiving unit 44, thereby further improving the analytical performance.

The analysis device 40A includes a control unit 45, and can correct the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit 43 based on the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the reference light receiving unit 44. This allows the analysis device 40A to suppress fluctuations in the control unit 45 and obtain stable transmittance and absorbance.

The analysis device 40A can set the irradiation area A (see FIG. 3) of the measurement light in a plan view of the plate body 10 so that it does not overlap with the flow path 11 and is larger than the projected area of the light path conversion unit 12A, and the light path conversion unit 12A is inside the irradiation area A (see FIG. 3) in a plan view of the plate body 10. This allows the analysis device 40A to reliably irradiate the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 41 to the light path conversion unit 12A while reducing the intrusion of the measurement light into the flow path 11. Therefore, the analysis device 40A can make the measurement value of the measurement light received by the light receiving unit 43 more stable, and therefore can make the analysis performance more stable.

The analysis device 40A can be provided with a lens unit 42 on the exit side of the plate body 10. This prevents the measurement light emitted from the plate body 10 from spreading, and allows the measurement light to be received by the light receiving unit 43 in parallel. This increases the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 43, and the analysis device 40A can further suppress fluctuations in the intensity of the measurement light, allowing the components in the sample to be measured with even higher accuracy.

The analysis device 40A can form the lens section 42 inside the plate body 10, integrally with the plate body 10. This allows the lens section 42 to be used integrally with the plate body 10, without being provided as a separate part from the plate body 10, so that when analyzing components in a sample, preparation such as lens preparation and position adjustment is not required, making the analysis easier.

(Modification)
In this embodiment, the plate body 10 may be formed in other shapes, such as a circle, in addition to the rectangular shape when viewed from above.

In this embodiment, the plate body 10 is formed from two plate-shaped plates (a first plate-shaped plate 101 and a second plate-shaped plate 102), but it can also be formed from three or more plate-shaped plates.

In this embodiment, the flow path plate 1A does not have a separation element housing portion 112, and the separation column 20 does not have to be housed in the plate body 10. In this case, for example, components are separated by the separation column 20 outside the flow path plate 1A, and the liquid to be measured from which the components have been separated is introduced through the inlet 15.

In this embodiment, the cross sections of the first liquid flow path 111-1, the second liquid flow path 111-2, and the fifth liquid flow path 111-5 are all approximately circular, but the cross section of any of these flow paths may be polygonal, etc.

In this embodiment, the cross sections of the third liquid flow path 111-3 and the fourth liquid flow path 111-4 are both rectangular, but they may also be substantially circular, etc.

In this embodiment, the separation element storage section 112 in the flow path plate 1A may be provided in series or parallel in multiple locations within the flow path plate 1A, as long as this does not affect the shape or size of the flow path plate 1A. In this case, a separation column 20 may be provided in each separation element storage section 112.

In this embodiment, the optical detection cell section 113 may be formed in the second plate 102.

In this embodiment, the shape of the optical detection cell unit 113 in the cross section in the axial direction may be a polygon such as a pentagon. If the shape of the optical detection cell unit 113 in the cross section in the axial direction is circular, a groove portion corresponding to the optical detection cell unit 113 cannot be formed in the first plate-like plate 101 or the second plate-like plate 102. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the shape of the optical detection cell unit 113 in the cross section in the axial direction is polygonal so that a reverse taper is not formed on the joint surface between the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102. This makes it possible to easily manufacture the plate body 10 when manufacturing the plate-like plates that constitute the plate body 10 by injection molding, press processing, or the like.

In this embodiment, the inlet 15 and the outlet 16 of the plate body 10 are provided on the side of the flow path plate 1A in the -X axis direction, but may be provided on any one of the other three sides of the flow path plate 1A.

In this embodiment, the inlet 15 and the outlet 16 of the plate body 10 may be provided on the same main surface side in the +Z axis direction of the second plate-like plate 102, as shown in FIG. 14.

In this embodiment, the plate body 10 may have one or more positioning holes at the corners of its upper end face or lower end face. When the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 are bonded together to produce the plate body 10, the bonding position of the first plate-like plate 101 and the second plate-like plate 102 can be easily adjusted. In addition, when the flow path plate 1A is installed in the analysis device 40A (see FIG. 16), the position of the flow path plate 1A can be easily fixed at a predetermined position. The positioning hole may penetrate the plate body 10 or may be formed in a concave shape.

In this embodiment, the plate body 10 may have a chamfered portion on one of its four sides. This makes it easier to check the insertion direction of the flow path plate 1A into the analysis device 40A (see FIG. 6).

Second Embodiment
A flow path plate 1B according to a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the flow path plate according to the second embodiment as viewed from the direction of III-III in Fig. 1, and Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of measurement light in an analysis device 40B including the flow path plate 1B. As shown in Fig. 15, the flow path plate 1B according to this embodiment has a bandpass filter 60 that passes only measurement light in a predetermined wavelength range to be measured on the emission side of the plate body 10 in the flow path plate 1A according to the first embodiment.

The bandpass filter 60 is provided on the main surfaces 10a on the incident side and the exit side of the plate body 10. The bandpass filter 60 can be formed of, for example, a laminated film of _TiO2 and _SiO2 , or a laminated film of _Nb2O2 and _SiO2 . In addition, the bandpass filter 60 only needs to be able to pass measurement light of _a specific wavelength, and a known bandpass filter can be used.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the analysis device 40B, when the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 41 reaches the bandpass filter 60 provided on the main surface 10a of the plate body 10 of the flow path plate 1B, unnecessary light other than the wavelength to be measured is cut by the bandpass filter 60, and only the measurement light in the wavelength range to be measured can pass through the bandpass filter 60.

The measurement light that reaches the inside of the plate body 10 is reflected by the optical path conversion unit 12A, and the optical path is converted by approximately 90° toward the optical detection cell unit 113, and is irradiated so as to pass through the optical detection cell unit 113. The measurement light passes through the optical detection cell unit 113, and is reflected by the optical path conversion unit 12B, and the optical path is converted by approximately 90° toward the light receiving unit 43, and reaches the bandpass filter 60. Since the measurement light is light in a specific wavelength range to be measured, it can pass through the bandpass filter 60. The measurement light that passes through the bandpass filter 60 has its optical path narrowed by the lens unit 42, and is then received and detected by the light receiving unit 43.

By providing a bandpass filter 60 on the main surface 10a of the plate body 10, the flow path plate 1B can allow only measurement light in a predetermined wavelength range to be measured to enter the plate body 10 and emit it from the plate body 10. As a result, the flow path plate 1B can transmit only measurement light in the wavelength range to be measured to the light receiving unit 43, thereby suppressing an increase in the amount of light due to unnecessary light components. Therefore, the flow path plate 1B can increase the sensitivity detected by the light receiving unit 43.

In this embodiment, the bandpass filter 60 may be provided only on the entrance or exit portion of the measurement light of the plate body 10.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the above embodiments are presented as examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various combinations, omissions, substitutions, modifications, etc. can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

Reference Signs List 1A, 1B Flow path plate 10 Plate body 101 First plate-like plate 102 Second plate-like plate 111 Liquid flow path 111-1 First liquid flow path 111-2 Second liquid flow path 111-3 Third liquid flow path 111-4 Fourth liquid flow path 111-5 Fifth liquid flow path 112 Separation element storage section 113 Optical detection cell section (detection section)
12, 12A, 12B Optical path conversion unit 15 Inlet 16 Outlet 20 Separation column (separation element)
40A, 40B Analysis device 41 Light irradiation unit 42 Lens unit 43 Light receiving unit 44 Reference light receiving unit 45 Control unit 46 Display unit 60 Bandpass filter

Claims (7)

A flow path plate;
a light irradiation unit that irradiates the flow path plate with a measurement light;
a light receiving unit that receives the measurement light that has passed through a detection unit in the flow path plate through which the measurement light passes;
a reference light receiving unit provided on the opposite side of the flow path plate from the light irradiating unit;
Equipped with
The flow path plate includes:
A plate body formed in a plate shape;
a flow path provided in the plate body through which a liquid to be measured passes;
a first optical path conversion unit provided in the plate body and configured to reflect the measurement light incident on the plate body;
Equipped with
The flow channel has the detection unit,
the first optical path changer is provided on an incident side of the detector so as to be substantially collinear with an optical axis of the detector,
the first optical path conversion unit is disposed at a position not overlapping with the flow path in a plan view of the plate body ,
the first optical path changer and the second optical path changer are provided so as to be substantially collinear with an optical axis of the detection unit via the detection unit,
The first optical path conversion unit reflects the measurement light incident on the plate body to the detection unit,
The reference light receiving section receives the measurement light that has passed through the plate body without passing through the first optical path changing section in the flow path plate . The analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the flow path plate is provided with a bandpass filter on either or both of an incident surface and an exit surface of the plate body. 3. The analytical device according to claim 1 , wherein the flow path plate is provided on the upstream side of the flow path in the flow direction of the liquid to be measured relative to the detection section, and has a separation element accommodating section that accommodates a separation element that separates components in the liquid to be measured. The analytical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a control unit that corrects the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the light receiving unit based on the measurement value of the measurement light measured by the reference light receiving unit. an irradiation area of the measurement light irradiated from the light irradiation unit does not overlap with the flow path in a plan view of the plate body and is larger than a projected area of the first optical path conversion unit;
The analysis device according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the first optical path changer is located inside a forward irradiation area in a plan view of the plate body. 6. The analytical device according to claim 1, further comprising a lens section for collimating the measurement light on either or both of an incident side and an exit side of the plate body. The analyzer according to claim 6 , wherein the lens portion is integrally formed within the plate body.

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