METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING DROPLET

Abstract

The invention provides a method in which an annular or spiral droplet holder formed of wire is used to hold a droplet in a state of being hung therefrom or being contained therein. A means for moving the droplet holder is added to the droplet holder to enable droplet transfer. To merge two droplets, they are brought into contact. To drip the droplet held by a droplet holder formed of wire, the droplet holder is deformed using an external force. A light path which passes through a droplet is set to enable optical measurement. The present invention enables inexpensive, simple droplet transfer. An inexpensive, simple configuration for handling droplets in the fields of chemical analysis, biochemical analysis, and automatic blood analysis can be realized according to the present invention.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a droplet transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing droplet agitation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing droplet agitation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A to 4D are schematic diagrams showing a method of forming a droplet on a droplet holder according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are schematic diagrams showing droplet mixing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing droplet transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7A to 7H are schematic diagrams showing a series of operations leading from droplet holding to droplet transfer and droplet dripping according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams showing a method of droplet dripping according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams showing an optical measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a droplet recovery method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A to 11C are schematic diagrams showing a method for forming many droplets according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a droplet transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 13A to 13H are schematic diagrams showing a blood biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A droplet transfer unit, comprising a droplet holder which is formed of wire and in which a droplet is inscribed, and a moving unit which moves the droplet holder.

2. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 1, wherein the droplet holder holds the droplet such that the droplet is convex downward below the droplet holder or such that the droplet is convex both downward below the droplet holder and upward above the droplet holder.

3. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 1, wherein, when the droplet is approximated by a sphere with a volume V and a diameter D, the droplet held by the droplet holder satisfies the following equation: 2πd×γ=V×ρ×g=(π/6)×D3×ρ×g where d, γ, and ρ represent an inscribed diameter, a surface tension, and a liquid density, respectively, of the droplet, and g represents a gravitational acceleration.

4. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 1, wherein the droplet holder is spiral-shaped.

5. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 4, wherein a volume V of the droplet held by the droplet holder satisfies the following equation: V=πd2/4×p×n where n, d, and p represent a number of turns, a diameter, and a pitch, respectively, of the spiral.

6. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 4, wherein the droplet holder has a projection at an end thereof.

7. A container, comprising: the droplet transfer unit according to claim 6,a well for storing the droplet, anda projection which is provided on the well and which is hooked to the projection at an end of the droplet holder.

8. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 1, wherein the droplet transfer unit has a plurality of the droplet holders.

9. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 1, wherein the droplet holder is formed of a shape-memory alloy.

10. The droplet transfer unit according to claim 9, further comprising a heater for controlling a temperature of the droplet holder and changing a shape of the droplet holder.

11. A droplet formation device, comprising: a container for storing a sample,a droplet transfer unit which is formed of wire and which includes a plurality of droplet holders to be each inscribed by a droplet of the sample, and a moving unit for moving the droplet holders, anda deformation unit which deforms the droplet holders.

12. The droplet formation device according to claim 11, wherein the droplet holders are spiral-shaped.

13. A light detection device, comprising: a droplet transfer unit which is formed of wire and which includes a droplet holder to be inscribed by a droplet, and a moving unit for moving the droplet holder,a light irradiation unit which irradiates a droplet held by the droplet holder with light, anda detection unit which performs optical detection on the droplet held by the droplet holder.

14. The light detection device according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of substantially transparent members installed in a manner to sandwich the droplet holder.

15. The light detection device according to claim 13, further comprising a container for recovering the droplet and a projection provided on the container, wherein the projection provided on the container deforms the droplet holder by being hooked to a substantially middle portion, or a vicinity thereof, of the droplet holder.

16. An analysis device, comprising: a storage storing a sample,a sample holding unit which collects a portion of the sample from the storage and holds the portion of the sample,a circulation section which circulates the sample holding unit, anda reagent supply section which supplies a reagent to the sample holding unit circulated by the circulation section, anda detection section which performs detection on the portion of the sample held by the sample holding unit,wherein the sample holding unit includes a first droplet holder to be inscribed by a droplet of the portion of the sample and a first moving unit, andwherein the reagent supply section includes a second droplet holder to be inscribed by a droplet of the reagent and a second moving unit.

17. The analysis device according to claim 16, wherein the first droplet holder is formed of an annular wire and the second droplet holder is formed of a spiral wire.

18. A droplet mixing method, comprising the steps of: making each of a plurality of droplet holders to be inscribed by a droplet hold a droplet,bringing the droplets held by the plurality of droplet holders into contact, andmixing the droplets thus brought into contact,wherein, in the step of droplet holding, at least two of the droplet holders are used, the at least two of the droplet holders having different diameters, andwherein, in the step of mixing, the droplets are transferred to one of the droplet holders which is larger in diameter than the droplets.