Light measurement apparatus for reaction vessel and light measurement method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088419-B2
Application number	US-201615388602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 17, 2012
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring the optical state on the inside of a reaction vessel. The apparatus includes: linking portions that optically connect with the interior of the reaction vessel that is linkable with reaction vessels, a connecting end arranging body having an arranging surface that arranges and supports along a predetermined path, connecting ends to which is provided back ends of the light guide portions, the front ends thereof being provided to the linking portions, the connecting ends being provided to the linking portions; a measurement device having measuring ends that are successively optically connectable with the connecting ends, and in which light based on the optical state is receivable by optical connections between the connecting ends and the measuring ends; and a light guide switching mechanism that successively optically connects the connecting ends and the measuring ends.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel comprising:
two or more linking portions to which is provided front ends of one or two or more light guide portions that are directly or indirectly linkable with two or more reaction vessels and optically connect with the interior of the reaction vessel to which it is linked;
a connecting end arranging body that has an arranging surface that arranges and supports along a predetermined path, two or more connecting ends, to which is provided back ends of the light guide portions, in which the front ends thereof are provided to the linking portions, the connecting ends are provided corresponding to the respective linking portions;
a measurement device that has one or two or more measuring ends that are successively optically connectable with the respective two or more connecting ends along the predetermined path on the arranging surface, and in which light based on an optical state within the reaction vessels is receivable by means of optical connections between the two or more connecting ends and the measuring ends, the measuring ends are provided approaching or making contact with the arranging surface; and
a light guide switching mechanism that relatively moves the respective two or more connecting ends arranged on the connecting end arranging body and the respective measuring ends along the predetermined path on the arranging surface such that they are successively optically connected, in a state that the two or more linking portions are held to be linked to the respective two or more reaction vessels,
wherein the measurement device comprises a plurality of types of measurement devices each including a photoelectric element, and provided with respect to the respective measurement devices, and at the very least between adjacent measurement devices, are a modulator that modulates the intensity of the light to be received by the photoelectric elements provided in the interior of the respective measurement devices at mutually different predetermined frequencies, and a tuner that, with regard to the light received by the respective measurement devices, performs tuning to the predetermined frequencies, and obtains the corresponding intensity of the received light, such that optical crosstalk mainly due to the entry of excitation light from adjacent measurement devices is prevented.

2. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the light guide portion has flexibility.

3. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement device comprises a plurality of types of specific wavelength measurement devices that are able to receive the respective light of specific wavelengths or specific wavelength bands, the specific wavelength measurement devices having at least one measuring end that is successively optically connectable with the connecting ends along the predetermined path, and the respective predetermined frequencies of the modulators corresponding to the specific wavelength measurement devices being mutually different, at least between adjacent specific wavelength measurement devices, and in a case where the light based on the optical state is a fluorescent light, the specific wavelength measurement devices are provided with an irradiation source that irradiates a predetermined excitation light that excites the corresponding fluorescent light of a specific wavelength or a specific wavelength band, and a light receiving portion that is able to receive the fluorescent light of the specific wavelength or the specific wavelength band, and the modulators that correspond to the respective specific wavelength measurement devices are provided with an excitation light modulation portion that modulates the predetermined excitation lights at the predetermined frequency, and the tuners are provided with a bandpass filter circuit or a lock-in amplifier that, with respect to the light received by the light receiving portion, extracts the intensity data of the light having the predetermined frequencies.

4. A light measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , that has two or more linking portions provided on a light guide stage, and a stage transfer mechanism that relatively moves the light guide stage with respect to the reaction vessels such that the linking portion is simultaneously directly or indirectly linked with the two or more reaction vessels.

5. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel according to claim 1 , provided with a temperature controller having a temperature source that is provided making contact with or approaching the lower side wall sections of the reaction vessels, and a heating portion provided such that it is able to make contact with or approach the upper side wall sections of the reaction vessels positioned further on an upper side than the lower side wall sections of the reaction vessels, and that has a heat source that is able to heat the upper side wall sections.

6. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel according to claim 1 , wherein a linking portion, which is directly or indirectly linkable with the reaction vessels and is provided with an optical element in the interior, is made from a material that is usable to a temperature higher than the dew point of water vapor, and has a thermal conductivity smaller than 1.0 W/(m·K).

7. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel according to claim 1 , wherein front ends of a light guide portion bundle which comprises a plurality of light guide portions, are provided to the respective linking portions, back ends of a light guide portion bundle of a portion of the light guide portion bundle are provided to first connecting ends of the connecting end arranging body, a portion or all of the remainder of the light guide portion bundle is provided to second connecting ends of the connecting end arranging body, the predetermined path comprises a first path and a second path, and the connecting end arranging body has a plurality of pairs of first connecting ends and second connecting ends that are optically connected with the linking portion, and a single pair of a third connecting end and a fourth connecting end that is optically mutually connected by means of the light guide portion, and the first measuring end provided to the measurement device is provided relatively movable along a first path, which comprises a plurality of the first connecting ends and a single third connecting end, and the second measuring end provided to the measurement device is provided relatively movable along a second path, which comprises a plurality of the second connecting ends and a single fourth connecting end,
and the first measuring end is optically connect with the irradiation source of the measurement device, and the second measuring end is connected with the light receiving portion of the measurement device, and for each pair, the first measuring end is successively connectable with the plurality of first connecting ends and the single third connecting end, and the second measuring end is successively connectable with the plurality of second connecting ends and the single fourth connecting end.

8. A light measurement apparatus for a reaction vessel comprising:
a nozzle head provided with a suction-discharge mechanism that performs suction and discharge of gases, and one or two or more nozzles that detachably mount dispensing tips in which the suction and the discharge of liquids is possible by means of the suction-discharge mechanism;
a vessel group having at the very least one or two or more liquid housing parts that house reaction solutions used for various reactions, a liquid housing part that houses a magnetic particle s

Assignees

• Universal Bio Research Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tajima Hideji
• Sugimoto Takaki
• MATSUKUBO Yu
• KOBAYASHI Shuuichi
• Ueda Tetsuya

Classifications

• G01N35/00722

  Communications; Identification · CPC title

• B01L2300/0654

  Lenses; Optical fibres · CPC title

• G01N2021/6482

  Sample cells, cuvettes · CPC title

• G01N35/10

  Devices for transferring samples {or any liquids} to, in, or from, the analysis apparatus, e.g. suction devices, injection devices {(G01N35/0099 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C12Q1/686

  Polymerase chain reaction [PCR] · CPC title