JP7549358B2 - Chip for generating thermal convection and reaction method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a chip for generating thermal convection and a reaction method.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (hereinafter referred to as "PCR") is a known method for amplifying genes. PCR is a method that can amplify a large amount of a specific DNA fragment from an extremely small amount of DNA sample in a short period of time, and is used in a wide range of fields, from basic research to clinical genetic diagnosis, food hygiene inspection, and criminal investigation.
Thermal convection PCR has been proposed as a method for accelerating PCR. Patent Document 1 discloses a disk-shaped microchannel chip having an annular channel for performing centrifugally accelerated thermal convection PCR.
In the thermal convection generating chip described in the same document, there are three solution inlet ports (receptor 121 in the same document), one for introducing sample liquid, one for introducing PCR liquid, and one for introducing evaporation suppression liquid (mineral oil). From there, a microchannel (inlet passage 122 in the same document) extends to form a V-shaped channel, and a weighing space region (first region 122a in the same document) for storing the solution is located downstream. The combined capacity of the sample liquid region and the PCR liquid region is the same as that of the annular channel (thermal convection channel 11 in the same document). Each liquid introduced from the inlet port (receptor 121 in the same document) enters the microchannel by capillary action and fills the weighing space region. At this time, by centrifuging, the liquid in the weighing region is transferred to the annular channel starting from the valley of the V-shaped structure, and the excess returns to the inlet side, thereby supplying the required volume of liquid to the annular channel. Furthermore, by arranging a plurality of V-shaped measuring channels and arranging circular channels downstream of each branch, it is possible to detect a plurality of types of genes from one sample.

International Publication No. 2015/170753

However, in the above conventional technologies, there is room for further improvement in controlling the flow and stability of the liquid in the microchannel to the intended area at each stage from the introduction of the solution to performing centrifugally enhanced thermal convection PCR, and there was a risk of excess or deficiency in the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection channel.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems in the conventional technology described above, and its objective is to improve the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection flow path.

A first aspect of the present invention is a thermal convection generating chip comprising a rotor in which a thermal convection flow path, an inlet, and a supply path are formed, and liquid introduced into the inlet is supplied to the thermal convection flow path by the supply path and thermally convected in the thermal convection flow path, wherein the rotor is formed with a liquid receiving portion that communicates with the inlet, the inner side and inner bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion meet at an acute angle, and the supply path has a liquid inlet that opens to the inner side surface with its base positioned on the inner bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion.

A second aspect of the present invention is a thermal convection generating chip that includes a rotor having a thermal convection flow path, an inlet, and a supply path formed therein, and that supplies liquid introduced into the inlet to the thermal convection flow path through the supply path and causes thermal convection in the thermal convection flow path, wherein the rotor is formed with a liquid receiving portion that communicates with the inlet, the supply path has a suction passage that draws in the liquid in the liquid receiving portion by capillary action, the suction passage has a weighing space, and the suction passage is configured such that, due to centrifugal force generated when the rotor is rotated, the liquid in the weighing space is separated from the liquid in other regions and supplied to the thermal convection flow path, and the outlet of the weighing space on the thermal convection flow path side is open to the plane formed by the rotor with the edge of the outlet spaced apart from the edge of the plane.

A third aspect of the present invention is a thermal convection generating chip that includes a rotor having a thermal convection flow path, an inlet, and a supply path formed therein, and that supplies liquid introduced into the inlet to the thermal convection flow path through the supply path and causes thermal convection in the thermal convection flow path, wherein the rotor is formed with a liquid receiving section that communicates with the inlet, the supply path has a suction passage that draws in the liquid in the liquid receiving section by capillary action, the suction passage has a weighing space, and the suction passage is configured so that the liquid in the weighing space is separated from the liquid in other areas by centrifugal force generated when the rotor is rotated and is supplied to the thermal convection flow path, and an excess liquid storage section in which liquid separated from the liquid in the weighing space by the centrifugal force is stored is formed in the rotor.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a thermal convection generating chip that includes a rotor having a thermal convection flow path, an inlet, and a supply path formed therein, and that supplies liquid introduced into the inlet to the thermal convection flow path through the supply path and causes thermal convection in the thermal convection flow path, wherein a sealant space is formed in the rotor, separate from the supply path, that is connected to the connection part of the supply path with the thermal convection flow path, and a sealant that is solid at room temperature is held in the sealant space, and in order to block the thermal convection flow path to which liquid is supplied through the supply path, the sealant in the sealant space is heated and melted, and is transported to the connection part by the centrifugal force generated when the rotor is rotated so that it can be filled.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the introduction of liquid into the supply passage is ensured and supply shortages can be prevented, so that the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection passage can be improved.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, unintended leakage of liquid from the measuring space for measuring the supply amount to the thermal convection flow path side is prevented, thereby improving the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection flow path.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the surplus liquid is stored in the surplus liquid storage section, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection flow path.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by heating and rotating at an appropriate timing, the thermal convection flow path can be blocked with the sealant already installed in the thermal convection generating chip, thereby maintaining the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection flow path.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a thermal convection generating chip according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a thermal convection generating chip according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a top cover is removed. FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a thermal convection generating chip according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the bottom cover is removed. FIG. 2 is a top view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the top cover is removed. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the bottom cover is removed. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a central portion of a thermal convection generating chip according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged top perspective view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the top cover is removed. 8 is a partially enlarged top perspective view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the top cover is removed. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged top view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the top cover is removed. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged bottom perspective view of the thermal convection generating chip according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the bottom cover is removed.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 11. The following is one embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 etc., the thermal convection generating chip 1 of this embodiment is a disk-shaped microchannel chip, and its main body is a rotor 1c having a structure in which a disk 1a and an upper cylinder 1b are connected by a coaxial line A.
The disk 1a comprises a core substrate 2, a ring-shaped top cover 3 into which the upper cylinder 1b can be inserted, and a bottom cover 4. The core substrate 2 has an upper surface 2A and a lower surface 2B. A groove constituting a flow path etc. is formed in the core substrate 2, and the upper opening of the groove is closed by the top cover 3 and the lower opening is closed by the bottom cover 4 to form a flow path and an air passage. However, an air vent 100 provided on the top surface is left open.
The outer edge of the disk 1a is formed with a notch 99 for supporting the disk during rotation, etc.

The thermal convection generating chip 1 is a 12-channel microchannel chip for PCR, and 12 sets of thermal convection channels 5 and supply channels 10 for supplying solutions thereto are arranged on the disk 1a in an area divided by 12 equal central angles. The thermal convection channels 5 are channels formed in an annular shape.
The upper end opening of the upper cylinder 1b is an inlet 50. The space below the inlet 50 is a liquid receiving portion 51 that communicates with the inlet 50. The bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion 51 is formed by the upper surface of the bottom cover 4.
The liquid introduced into the inlet 50 is distributed and supplied to the twelve thermal convection flow paths 5 by the twelve supply paths 10, and thermal convection is caused in each of the thermal convection flow paths 5.

The configuration of the supply path 10, from the most upstream liquid receiving portion 51 to the most downstream thermal convection path 5, is as follows.
That is, the supply path 10 is configured to be connected to a first passage 11 whose upstream end is connected to the liquid receiving portion 51, then to a second passage 12, then to a weighing space 13, and finally to an introduction chamber 14, the downstream end of which is connected to the thermal convection flow path 5.
The liquid receiving portion 51, the first passage 11, the second passage 12, the weighing space 13, the introduction chamber 14, and the thermal convection flow path 5 are connected in series in this order.
The first passage 11, the second passage 12, and the measuring space 13 correspond to a suction passage that draws in the liquid in the liquid receiving portion 51 by capillary action. Therefore, the liquid in the liquid receiving portion 51 passes through the first passage 11 and the second passage 12 by capillary action and fills the measuring space 13.
The first passage 11 is a flow path that transitions radially outward. The second passage 12 is a flow path that transitions radially inward. The weighing space 13 is a flow path that transitions radially outward. Note that the term "radial direction" refers to the radial direction centered on the rotation central axis A of the rotor 1c.
Furthermore, an introduction chamber 14 is disposed radially outward from the weighing space 13. A thermal convection flow path 5 is disposed radially outward from the introduction chamber 14.

An air inlet 13a opens at an upper surface of the upstream end of the weighing space 13. An air outlet 13b opens at an upper surface of the downstream end of the weighing space 13.
When the rotor 1c is in a stationary state, the liquid filling the measuring space 13 due to capillary action stays on the surfaces of the air inlet 13a and the outlet 13b.

Next, the flow paths and spaces other than the serial system from the liquid receiving portion 51 to the thermal convection flow path 5 will be described.
The downstream end of the first passage 11 and the upstream end of the second passage 12 are connected to the upstream end of the surplus liquid storage portion 15 .
A dam portion 15 a is formed at the upstream end of the surplus liquid storage portion 15 .
The surplus liquid storage section 15 extends in an arc shape so as to bypass the radially outer side of the thermal convection flow path 5 and straddle its own radially outermost end 15e. The downstream end of the surplus liquid storage section 15 connects to the air passage 16a radially inward from the radially outermost end 15e. The air passage 16a, the filter installation chamber 17, and the air passage 18 are connected in this order.
The introduction chamber 14 communicates with a sealant space 20 via a sealant supply path 19. The sealant space 20 is disposed radially inward from the introduction chamber 14 so as to enable the supply of the sealant by centrifugal force.
The air inlet 13a of the weighing space 13 and the radially inner end of the sealant space 20 are connected to the air passage 16b. The air passage 16b, the filter installation chamber 17, and the air passage 18 are connected in this order.
The portion of the air passage 18 that is not blocked by the upper cover 3 is the air port 100. To prevent liquid leakage from the air port 100, the air port 100 is provided at a position radially inward and away from the weighing space 13 and the sealant space 20. A filter that allows air to pass through but does not allow liquid to pass through is provided in the filter installation chamber 17.

With the above configuration, the liquid in the weighing space 13 is separated from the liquid in the other regions (11, 12) by the centrifugal force generated when the rotor 1c is rotated and is supplied to the thermal convection flow path 5. At this time, the introduction of air from the air path 16b promotes the separation of the liquid in the weighing space 13 from the liquid in the second passage 12.

As shown in FIG. 7, the inner side surface 51a and the inner bottom surface 51b of the liquid receiving portion 51 meet at an acute angle.
The supply path 10 has a liquid inlet 11a that opens to the inner side surface 51a and has its bottom side located on the inner bottom surface 51b of the liquid receiving portion 51. The inner bottom surface 51b is formed by the upper surface of the bottom lid 4. The liquid inlet 11a is the upstream end opening of the first passage 11. Since the inner bottom surface of the first passage 11 is also formed by the upper surface of the bottom lid 4, the inner bottom surface 51b of the liquid receiving portion 51 and the inner bottom surface of the first passage 11 are at the same height level. Therefore, the bottom side of the liquid inlet 11a is located on the inner bottom surface 51b of the liquid receiving portion 51.
As described above, the surface (inner surface 51a) through which the liquid inlet 11a opens is continuous with the inner bottom surface 51b of the liquid receiving section 51 at an acute angle, and a narrow space is formed in front of the liquid inlet 11a where the adjacent surfaces form an acute angle, thereby generating capillary action there and allowing the liquid in the liquid receiving section 51 to quickly flow into the liquid inlet 11a.
This allows the liquid to be introduced into the supply passage 10 quickly and reliably, preventing a supply shortage, and improving the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection passage 5 .

In this embodiment, the liquid inlets 11a of the multiple sets of supply paths 10 are similarly provided to open on the inner surface 51a of one liquid receiving portion 51. This makes it possible to distribute the solution from one liquid receiving portion 51.
The central axis A of the inlet 50 and the liquid receiving portion 51 is disposed on the central axis A of rotation of the rotor 1c, and the inner side surface 51a of the liquid receiving portion 51 is disposed equidistant from the central axis A of rotation. Furthermore, at least the lower portion of the inner side surface 51a of the liquid receiving portion 51 is formed as a tapered surface that widens as it lowers, and the liquid inlet 11a opens into the tapered surface. This makes it easy to distribute liquid from one liquid receiving portion 51 to multiple sets of supply paths 10 evenly and simultaneously.

As shown in Fig. 10, the outlet 13b on the thermal convection flow path 5 side of the weighing space 13 is opened on the plane 13d formed by the rotor 1c with the edge of the outlet 13b separated from the edge of the plane 13d. As a result, the surface surrounding the outlet 13b is arranged on a plane including the opening surface of the outlet 13b. Therefore, the liquid that has reached the outlet 13b is prevented from contacting the outer surface of the outlet 13b, and the liquid is prevented from leaking out of the outlet 13b. If there is any liquid leaking out of the outlet 13b, the liquid will be introduced into the thermal convection flow path 5, and the weighing accuracy will decrease. Therefore, by preventing the liquid from leaking out of the outlet 13b, the weighing accuracy will be improved.
Similarly, the edge of the air inlet 13a of the weighing space 13 is spaced apart from the edge of a plane 13c formed by the rotor 1c and opens onto the plane 13c.
This prevents liquid from leaking out of the air inlet 13a, improving weighing accuracy.
In this manner, only the volume of liquid that fills the weighing space 13 is supplied to the thermal convection channel 5, so that the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection channel 5 can be improved.
In this embodiment, the plane 13d where the outlet 13b opens and the plane 13c where the air inlet 13a opens are both horizontal planes facing upward, but in order to obtain the effect of preventing the leakage of the liquid, the opening planes of the outlet 13b and the air inlet 13a may have any angle. For example, the same effect can be obtained even if the outlet 13b and the air inlet 13a are opened on a vertical plane or a horizontal plane facing downward.

The surplus liquid storage section 15 is a space in which liquid (liquid in passages 11 and 12) separated from the liquid in the weighing space 13 by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotor 1c is stored. Exhaust through the air passage 16a promotes the inflow of liquid into the surplus liquid storage section 15. Since the surplus liquid storage section 15 extends outward from the same radial position as the thermal convection flow path 5, the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotor 1c acts on the surplus liquid storage section 15 to the same extent or greater than that of the thermal convection flow path 5. When the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotor 1c is acting, liquid is easily retained around the radially outermost end 15e of the surplus liquid storage section 15, and liquid is difficult to move to the air passage 16b at the downstream end of the surplus liquid storage section 15.

The dam portion 15a is formed so as to protrude upward from the bottom surface of the excess liquid storage portion and cross between both side surfaces. The dam portion 15a has the effect of blocking liquid attempting to flow out of the excess liquid storage portion 15. The dam portion 15a is provided radially inward from the radially outermost end 15e. Two or more dam portions 15a may be provided.
The flow path cross section of the surplus liquid storage section 15 has rounded corners 15R. In the dam section 15a, the rounded corners 15R are corners formed by the dam section 15a and both side surfaces. In other cases, corners formed by the top surface and both side surfaces of the surplus liquid storage section 15 are rounded corners 15R. This is because corners formed by the top cover 3 or bottom cover 4 and the core substrate 2 cannot be rounded for molding reasons.
Sharp corners cause capillary action. The rounded corners 15R can suppress backflow due to capillary action. Therefore, the excess liquid that has once flowed into the excess liquid storage section 15 is prevented from flowing back toward the first passage 11 or the second passage 12. In addition, since the flow due to capillary action is suppressed in the excess liquid storage section 15, when the liquid in the liquid receiving section 51 is introduced into the weighing space 13 through the first passage 11 and the second passage 12 by capillary action while the rotor 1c is in a stationary state, the flow of the liquid into the excess liquid storage section 15 is also suppressed. Therefore, it is effective in preventing a situation in which the liquid flows unevenly into some of the excess liquid storage sections 15 out of the 12 channels, resulting in uneven distribution of the liquid among the 12 channels.
By providing the dam portion 15a, it is possible to provide rounded corners 15R not only on the top surface side but also on the bottom surface side, so that liquid that attempts to flow back along the corners is blocked by one of the rounded corners 15R. The radius of curvature of the corners 15R is preferably 0.1 mm or more.
As a result, the surplus liquid is reliably stored in the surplus liquid storage section 15, so that the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection flow path 5 can be improved.

The details of an experiment conducted to investigate the relationship between the radius of curvature of the corner (15R) of the flow passage cross section and the flow distance that follows the corner will be disclosed below.
A required number of grooves, each 0.5 mm deep, 2.5 mm wide, and 30.0 mm long, were formed on the top surface of the resin plate, and these grooves were used as flow paths for the experiment. Therefore, the flow path for the experiment had a corner formed by the bottom surface and one side surface, and a corner formed by the bottom surface and the other side surface, and the top surface was open.
Five types of flow paths were prepared for the experiment, with the radii of curvature R of the two corners being 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3.
The resin plate was held horizontally, and the same amount (5 μL) of colored solution was injected into the longitudinal end of each experimental flow channel, and the flow channel was observed. The colored solution then migrated along both corners of the flow channel. The migration distances 90 seconds after injection were as follows:
For a flow path of R=0.0, it is 22.3 mm.
For a flow path with R=0.05, it is 14.1 mm.
For a flow path of R=0.1, it is 7.0 mm.
For a flow path of R=0.2, it is 3.2 mm.
For a flow path of R=0.3, it is 2.8 mm.

In addition, the dam portion 15a and its front portion 15b and rear portion 15c have a flow path width wider than the reservoir portion 15d which is further downstream in the inflow direction than the rear portion 15c. This lengthens the backflow path that follows the corner, making it more difficult for the liquid in the surplus liquid reservoir portion 15 to flow back and flow out toward the first passage 11 or the second passage 12.
In addition, the flow path cross sections of the front portion 15b and the rear portion 15c do not have rounded corners 15R because they vertically penetrate the core substrate 2. However, the vertical corners 15U in the front portion 15b and the rear portion 15c are rounded. The axis of the radius of curvature of the corners 15U is parallel to the central axis A of the rotation body 1c. In addition to the rounded corners 15R, the presence of the rounded corners 15U further suppresses the flow due to capillary action in the excess liquid storage portion 15, preventing unintended inflow and backflow.
The dam portion 15a and the storage portion 15d are provided with rounded corners 15R.

As described above, in addition to the supply path 10, the rotary body 1c is formed with a connection portion of the supply path 10 with the thermal convection flow path 5, i.e., the sealant space 20 communicating with the introduction chamber 14.
The sealant space 20 is filled in advance with paraffin or the like as a sealant that is solid at room temperature, and then the top cover 3 and the bottom cover 4 are attached to the core substrate 2 .
As described above, after the liquid is introduced into the weighing space 13 by capillary action and the liquid is then introduced into the thermal convection flow path 5 from the liquid receiving portion 51 by the rotation of the rotating body 1c, the thermal convection flow path 5 is blocked as follows.
That is, the sealant in the sealant space 20 is heated and melted, and is transferred and filled into the connection part (introduction chamber 14) by the centrifugal force generated when the rotor 1c is rotated. At this time, the outflow of the sealant from the sealant space 20 is promoted by the introduction of air from the air passage 16b.
As a result, the introduction chamber 14 is filled with the sealant, and the thermal convection path 5 is blocked. Therefore, the introduction chamber 14 is adjacent to the thermal convection path 5 downstream of the weighing space 13, and also serves as a space for closing the inlet of the thermal convection path 5 by filling with the sealant. Since the thermal convection path 5 is blocked, leakage due to evaporation of the liquid in the thermal convection path 5, etc., is prevented.
As described above, by heating and rotating at the appropriate timing, the thermal convection flow path 5 can be blocked with the sealant already installed in the thermal convection generating chip 1, thereby maintaining the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection flow path 5.

The procedure from liquid introduction to the thermal convection reaction will be explained below.
Dried primer DNA and probe DNA are placed in advance in each thermal convection flow path 5. This allows for handling of many types of DNA (bacterial species).
First, a sample, which is a biological material collected, is mixed into a sample container containing a predetermined reaction reagent solution to produce a solution containing the sample and the reaction reagent. The sample container has a bottom opening laminated with aluminum foil or the like.
An upwardly pointed opening protrusion 52 is provided in the center of the liquid receiving portion 51 .
The specimen container is inserted into the liquid receiving section 51 through the inlet 50, the laminate is broken using the opening protrusion 52 to open the specimen container, and the solution containing the specimen and reaction reagent inside the specimen container is introduced into the liquid receiving section 51.

Then, as described above, the solution is introduced into the weighing space 13 due to its own weight and capillary action.
After the weighing space 13 is filled with the solution, the rotor 1 c is rotated to supply only the solution in the weighing space 13 to the thermal convection flow path 5 .
Since a similar flow occurs in each set of supply paths 10 and thermal convection channels 5 , the solution is distributed and supplied to a plurality of sets of thermal convection channels 5 .
Next, after blocking the thermal convection channels 5 with the above-mentioned sealant, the solution is thermally convected in each of the thermal convection channels 5 under predetermined conditions to carry out a polymerase chain reaction or a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

As described above, according to the thermal convection generating chip of this embodiment, the accuracy of the amount of liquid supplied to the thermal convection channel 5 can be improved.
Furthermore, the work from loading the specimen container into the inlet 50 to the thermal convection reaction can be easily automated, and the reactions can be performed simultaneously in a plurality of thermal convection channels 5, improving workability. Although the loading of the specimen container into the inlet 50 may be performed manually, more stable control of the work operation and a wider range of automation can be realized by having a machine do it. In particular, the thermal convection generating chip 1 is already provided with a solid sealant, there is only one loading part for the specimen container (the inlet 50), and after loading the specimen container into the inlet 50, the work can be performed by controlling the rotation of the rotor 1c and the temperature of each part, improving workability and automating the work with less work load on the machine.
In the thermal convection generating chip of the above embodiment, the number of channels (the number of thermal convection flow paths) is 12, but there is no limit to the number of channels, and the number of channels can be arbitrarily selected to be more than 12 channels or less than 12 channels. This makes it possible to widely accommodate the number of channels required.

The present invention can be used in chips for generating thermal convection and reaction methods.

1 Thermal convection generating chip 1a Disk 1b Upper cylinder 1c Rotating body 2 Core substrate 2A Upper surface 2B of core substrate Lower surface 3 Upper lid 4 Bottom lid 5 Thermal convection flow path 10 Supply path 11 First passage 11a Liquid inlet 12 Second passage 13 Weighing space 13a Air inlet 13b Outlet 13c Plane 13d Plane 14 Introduction chamber 15 Excess liquid storage section 15R Corner 15a Dam section 15b Front part 15c Rear part 15d of dam section Storage section 15e Radially outermost end 16a of excess liquid storage section Air path 16b Air path 17 Filter installation chamber 18 Air path 19 Sealant supply path 20 Sealant space 50 Introduction port 51 Liquid receiving section 51a Inner surface 51b Inner bottom surface 52 Opening protrusion 99 Notch 100 Air vent A Rotational axis

Claims (10)

A thermal convection generating chip comprising a rotor in which an inlet is formed and in which a plurality of pairs of supply paths and thermal convection flow paths are formed, the thermal convection generating chip supplies liquid introduced into the inlet to a corresponding one of the thermal convection flow paths through each of the supply paths, and thermally convects the liquid in the plurality of thermal convection flow paths,
The rotor is provided with a cylindrical liquid receiving portion that is in communication with the inlet,
The inner surface and the inner bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion meet at an acute angle,
Each of the plurality of supply paths is a thermal convection generating chip having a liquid inlet opening on the inner side surface, with the bottom side being disposed on the inner bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion. the central axes of the inlet and the liquid receiving portion are disposed on the central axis of rotation of the rotor,
The inner surface of the liquid receiving portion is disposed equidistant from the central axis of rotation,
At least a lower portion of the inner surface of the liquid receiving portion is formed as a tapered surface that widens toward a lower position,
2. The thermal convection generating chip according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid inlet of each of the supply paths opens onto the tapered surface. A thermal convection generating chip comprising a rotor in which an inlet is formed and in which a plurality of pairs of supply paths and thermal convection flow paths are formed, the thermal convection generating chip supplies liquid introduced into the inlet to a corresponding one of the thermal convection flow paths through each of the supply paths, and thermally convects the liquid in the plurality of thermal convection flow paths,
The rotor is provided with a cylindrical liquid receiving portion that is in communication with the inlet,
Each of the plurality of supply paths has a suction passage that draws in the liquid in the liquid receiving portion by capillary action,
The suction passage has a weighing space,
the suction passage is configured so that the liquid in the measuring space is separated from the liquid in other regions by centrifugal force generated when the rotor is rotated , and the liquid is supplied to the corresponding thermal convection passage;
the rotating body has a substrate on which a plurality of the supply paths and a plurality of the thermal convection paths are formed,
the substrate has an opening communicating with an outlet of each of the weighing spaces on the thermal convection flow path side,
a thermal convection generating chip in which an edge of each of the outlets of the weighing spaces is open and spaced apart from an edge of the opening of the corresponding substrate ; The thermal convection generating chip according to claim 3 , wherein the outlets of the weighing spaces face the corresponding openings of the substrate. A thermal convection generating chip comprising a rotor in which a thermal convection flow path, an inlet, and a supply path are formed, the thermal convection generating chip being configured to supply a liquid introduced into the inlet to the thermal convection flow path through the supply path and to cause thermal convection in the thermal convection flow path,
The rotor is provided with a liquid receiving portion communicating with the inlet,
the supply path has a suction passage that draws in the liquid in the liquid receiving portion by capillary action,
The suction passage has a weighing space,
the suction passage is configured so that the liquid in the weighing space is separated from the liquid in other regions by centrifugal force generated when the rotor is rotated, and the liquid is supplied to the thermal convection flow path;
The thermal convection generating chip includes an excess liquid storage section formed on the rotor for storing liquid separated from the liquid in the measuring space by the centrifugal force. The thermal convection generating chip according to claim 5, wherein the flow passage cross section of the excess liquid storage section has rounded corners. The chip for generating thermal convection according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the excess liquid storage section has a dam section that protrudes upward from the bottom surface and crosses between both side surfaces. The thermal convection generating chip according to claim 7, wherein the corners formed by the dam portion and both side surfaces are rounded. A thermal convection generating chip comprising a rotor in which a thermal convection flow path, an inlet, and a supply path are formed, the thermal convection generating chip being configured to supply a liquid introduced into the inlet to the thermal convection flow path through the supply path and to cause thermal convection in the thermal convection flow path,
a sealant space is formed in the rotor, the sealant space being in communication with a connection portion of the supply path with the thermal convection path, separately from the supply path;
A sealant that is solid at room temperature is held in the sealant space,
A thermal convection generating chip in which the sealant in the sealant space is heated and melted so that the sealant can be transported to and filled in the connection section by centrifugal force generated when the rotor is rotated, in order to block the thermal convection flow path to which liquid is supplied by the supply path. Using the thermal convection generating chip according to claim 2 ,
A reaction method in which a solution containing a specimen and a reaction reagent is introduced into the liquid receiving section through one of the inlet ports, the solution is distributed and supplied to a plurality of the thermal convection flow paths, and thermal convection is performed in each of the thermal convection flow paths to perform a polymerase chain reaction or a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

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