Microorganism treatment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a microorganism treatment apparatus capable of: reducing the labor required for filtration of a liquid containing microorganisms and for staining of microorganisms; and achieving stabilization of the subsequent measurement of microorganisms.SOLUTION: A specimen liquid feed pump 15 is configured to feed a specimen liquid 41 from a specimen liquid feed tank 11 into a liquid holding flow path 23 with a filter 33 disposed in the liquid holding flow path 23, and a suction pump 29 is configured to draw the specimen liquid 41 present inside the liquid holding flow path 23. Furthermore, a staining liquid feed pump 17 feeds a staining liquid 42 that stains microorganisms from a staining liquid feed tank 12 into the liquid holding flow path 23, and the suction pump 29 draws the staining liquid 42 inside the liquid holding flow path 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a microorganism treatment device that filters a liquid containing microorganisms and stains the microorganisms. [Background technology]

[0002] A microorganism detection device is known that pre-treats a liquid containing microorganisms by staining the microorganisms with a fluorescent staining reagent, and then detects and counts the microorganisms that fluoresce in response to excitation light using a fluorescent microscope (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the pretreatment for staining microorganisms, first, a liquid containing microorganisms is filtered through a microorganism sampling filter, and any remaining components other than microorganisms on the surface of the microorganism sampling filter are washed away. Next, in the pretreatment, a fluorescent staining reagent is dropped onto the front of the microorganism sampling filter, which is then heated for a predetermined period of time. After the microorganisms have been stained, the fluorescent staining reagent is filtered and the excess fluorescent staining reagent is washed away, allowing the stained microorganisms to be collected on the microorganism sampling filter. The microorganism sampling filter is attached to a detection chip, and the detection chip is set in a microorganism detection device, whereby microorganisms are detected by the microorganism detection device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4810871 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventionally, the above pre-processing has been performed manually, but this is not only time-consuming but also delicate, which can lead to variations in measurement results.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a microbial treatment device that can reduce the effort required for filtering liquids containing microorganisms and staining the microorganisms, and can stabilize the subsequent measurement of microorganisms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve this object, a microorganism treatment device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a liquid holding flow path, a liquid delivery pump, a suction pump, and a control unit. The liquid holding flow path is a flow path for holding a specimen liquid containing microorganisms on a filter. The filter is a filter for filtering the specimen liquid. The liquid delivery pump is connected to the liquid holding flow path. The suction pump is connected to the liquid holding flow path. The control unit controls the operation of the liquid delivery pump and the suction pump as follows: The liquid delivery pump delivers the specimen liquid to the liquid holding flow path with the filter installed inside the liquid holding flow path. The suction pump sucks the specimen liquid inside the liquid holding flow path and filters the microorganisms contained in the specimen liquid onto the filter. The liquid delivery pump delivers a staining solution that stains the microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path. The suction pump sucks the staining solution inside the liquid holding flow path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the labor involved in filtering a liquid containing microorganisms and staining the microorganisms, and to stabilize the subsequent measurement of the microorganisms. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microorganism treatment device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method of using the microorganism treatment device. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a filtration and staining process executed by a control unit of the microorganism treatment device. [Figure 4] 10 is a time chart showing an example of the operating status of each part when the control unit of the microorganism treatment device executes filtration and staining treatment. [Figure 5] 10 is a time chart showing another example of the operating status of each part when the control unit of the same microorganism treatment device executes filtration and staining treatment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microorganism treatment device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10 is a time chart showing an example of the operating status of each part when the control unit of the microorganism treatment device executes filtration and staining treatment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microorganism treatment device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a time chart showing an example of the operating status of each part when the control unit of the microorganism treatment device executes filtration and staining treatment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microorganism treatment device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, and components, as well as the arrangement and connection of the components, shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not recited in the independent claims that represent the highest concept of the present disclosure will be described as optional components. Furthermore, in each drawing, substantially identical components are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted or simplified.

[0011] (First embodiment) First, the configuration of a microbial treatment device 1 according to a first embodiment, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure, will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing how to use the microbial treatment device 1.

[0012] The microorganism processing device 1 is a device that automatically performs pre-processing for measuring microorganisms in a microorganism detection device 50 (see Figure 2). As shown in Figure 2, the microorganism detection device 50 captures images of microorganisms stained with a fluorescent staining reagent in a liquid containing microorganisms using an image sensor 51 such as a CMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor, and measures the number of microorganisms. Specifically, the microorganism processing device 1 filters a sample liquid 41, which is a liquid containing microorganisms, through a filter 33, and stains the microorganisms remaining on the filter 33 using a staining solution 42.

[0013] Here, filter 33 is a filter for filtering specimen liquid 41. Microorganisms refer to bacteria and fungi (yeast and mold). Furthermore, specimen liquid 41 is a general liquid, and examples of liquids in which the presence of microorganisms may be measured include liquid food, drinking water, tap water, environmental water, and collection liquids in which floating bacteria are trapped in the liquid.

[0014] 1, the microbial treatment apparatus 1 has a liquid holding flow path 23 and a suction flow path 28. The microbial treatment apparatus 1 also has a specimen liquid supply tank 11 and a specimen liquid feed pump 15 for feeding specimen liquid 41 to the liquid holding flow path 23. The microbial treatment apparatus 1 also has a staining liquid supply tank 12 and a staining liquid feed pump 17 for feeding staining liquid 42 that stains microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path 23. The microbial treatment apparatus 1 also has a first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 and a first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 for cleaning the flow path for the specimen liquid 41, and a second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 and a second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 for cleaning the flow path for the staining liquid 42.

[0015] The microbial treatment device 1 also has a suction pump 29 and a waste liquid tank 30 for sucking and discarding the liquid inside the liquid holding flow path 23 through the suction flow path 28. The microbial treatment device 1 also has a branch path 31 and an electromagnetic valve 32 for releasing residual pressure in the suction flow path 28 between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction pump 29. The microbial treatment device 1 also has a metal block 24 to which a heater 25 is attached. The microbial treatment device 1 also has a control unit 35 for controlling the operation of the microbial treatment device 1.

[0016] Each of these components constituting the microbial treatment device 1 will be described below.

[0017] Liquid holding flow path 23 is a flow path for holding specimen liquid 41 containing microorganisms on filter 33, and its periphery is covered with a wall made of a chemical-resistant material such as silicone resin. Specimen liquid 41 held on filter 33 in liquid holding flow path 23 is filtered by filter 33 when sucked by suction pump 29, and the microorganisms contained in specimen liquid 41 remain on filter 33.

[0018] Liquid holding flow path 23 also serves as a flow path that holds staining solution 42 on filter 33. Liquid holding flow path 23 stains microorganisms remaining on filter 33 with staining solution 42 held on filter 33. Staining solution 42 held on filter 33 by liquid holding flow path 23 is sucked by suction pump 29 after the microorganisms have been stained.

[0019] Suction flow path 28 is provided between liquid holding flow path 23 and suction pump 29, and is a flow path for sucking the liquids (specimen liquid 41, staining liquid 42, and washing liquid 43) held on filter 33 in liquid holding flow path 23. When suction pump 29 is driven, the liquids held on filter 33 in liquid holding flow path 23 are sucked and sent to suction pump 29 through suction flow path 28.

[0020] Here, filter 33 is placed on chip 34 and installed downstream of liquid holding flow path 23. Chip 34 is used to mount filter 33. Microbial treatment device 1 is configured so that chip 34 can be installed downstream of liquid holding flow path 23 so that the surface on which filter 33 is placed faces liquid holding flow path 23.

[0021] The chip 34 is used in a microorganism detection device 50 that measures microorganisms. As shown in Fig. 2, the microorganism detection device 50 is installed with a filter 33 carrying stained microorganisms placed on the chip 34, and measures the number of microorganisms by capturing an image of the stained microorganisms on the filter 33 with an image sensor 51.

[0022] The microbial treatment device 1 uses a chip 34 that is used in this microbial detection device 50. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, a user of the microbial treatment device 1 removes the chip 34 from the microbial detection device 50 and places a filter 33 on the chip 34 before filtering the specimen liquid 41 and staining the microorganisms with the microbial treatment device 1. The user then places the chip 34 with the filter 33 on it in the microbial treatment device 1 so that it is sandwiched between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction flow path 28, with the surface on which the filter 33 is placed facing the liquid holding flow path 23 side.

[0023] 1, chip 34 is provided with one or more through-holes 34a. Through-holes 34a are provided so as to connect liquid holding channel 23 with suction channel 28 when chip 34 is installed in microorganism treatment device 1. Suction pump 29 sucks the liquid in liquid holding channel 23 via through-holes 34a.

[0024] Furthermore, an O-ring 26 is attached to the outer periphery of the downstream end of liquid holding flow channel 23, and an O-ring 27 is attached to the outer periphery of the upstream end of suction flow channel 28. When tip 34 is sandwiched between liquid holding flow channel 23 and suction flow channel 28, O-ring 26 seals the gap between liquid holding flow channel 23 and tip 34 (or filter 33 mounted on tip 34). This prevents the liquid held in liquid holding flow channel 23 from leaking out from between liquid holding flow channel 23 and tip 34. Furthermore, O-ring 27 seals the gap between tip 34 and suction flow channel 28. This prevents the liquid sucked from liquid holding flow channel 23 from leaking out from between tip 34 and suction flow channel 28.

[0025] The specimen liquid supply tank 11 is a tank that stores the specimen liquid 41 until it is delivered by the specimen liquid delivery pump 15. The specimen liquid supply tank 11 and the liquid holding flow path 23 are connected by a specimen liquid delivery tube 16 made of, for example, silicone rubber. As shown in FIG. 2 , a user of the microorganism treatment device 1 uses a dropper to inject a predetermined amount of specimen liquid 41 into the specimen liquid supply tank 11 before filtering the specimen liquid 41 and staining the microorganisms with the microorganism treatment device 1.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 , specimen liquid delivery pump 15 is a tube pump provided midway through specimen liquid delivery tube 16, and is connected to liquid holding flow path 23 via specimen liquid delivery tube 16. Specimen liquid delivery pump 15 is driven under the control of control unit 35. When specimen liquid delivery pump 15 is driven with filter 33 provided inside liquid holding flow path 23, specimen liquid 41 (and cleaning liquid 43, described below) stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11 is delivered to liquid holding flow path 23 and retained on filter 33. Note that specimen liquid delivery pump 15 corresponds to one of the "liquid delivery pumps" in the present disclosure.

[0027] Here, by using a tube pump as the specimen liquid delivery pump 15, the specimen liquid 41 and the cleaning liquid 43 described below are delivered through a tube. This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to prevent corrosion of the pump due to the specimen liquid 41 and the cleaning liquid 43 and the generation of contaminants due to the corrosion.

[0028] The staining solution supply tank 12 is a tank that stores the staining solution 42 until it is sent out by the staining solution delivery pump 17. The staining solution supply tank 12 and the solution holding flow path 23 are connected by a staining solution delivery tube 18 made of, for example, silicone rubber. As shown in Figure 2, a user of the microorganism treatment device 1 uses a dropper to inject a predetermined amount of staining solution 42 into the staining solution supply tank 12 before filtering the specimen liquid 41 and staining the microorganisms with the microorganism treatment device 1.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1 , the staining liquid feed pump 17 is a tube pump provided midway through the staining liquid feed tube 18, and is connected to the liquid holding flow path 23 via the staining liquid feed tube 18. The staining liquid feed pump 17 is driven under the control of the control unit 35. When the staining liquid feed pump 17 is driven, the staining liquid 42 (and cleaning liquid 43, described below) stored in the staining liquid supply tank 12 is fed to the liquid holding flow path 23 via the staining liquid feed tube 18. The staining liquid feed pump 17 corresponds to one of the "liquid feed pumps" in the present disclosure.

[0030] Here, by using a tube pump for the staining solution supply pump 17, the staining solution 42 and the cleaning solution 43 described below are sent through tubes. This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to suppress the occurrence of pump corrosion due to the staining solution 42 and the cleaning solution 43 and the generation of contaminants due to the corrosion.

[0031] The first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is a tank that stores a quantity of cleaning liquid 43 required for cleaning the flow path of the specimen liquid 41. The first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 and the specimen liquid supply tank 11 are connected via a first cleaning liquid delivery tube 20 made of, for example, silicone rubber. As shown in FIG. 2, a user of the microorganism treatment device 1 injects a predetermined quantity of cleaning liquid 43 into the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 using a dropper before filtering the specimen liquid 41 and staining the microorganisms with the microorganism treatment device 1. The first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 corresponds to one of the "cleaning liquid supply tanks" in the present disclosure.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1 , first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 is a tube pump provided midway through first cleaning liquid feed tube 20, and is connected to specimen liquid supply tank 11 via first cleaning liquid feed tube 20. First cleaning liquid feed pump 19 is driven under the control of control unit 35. When first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 is driven, cleaning liquid 43 stored in first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is fed to specimen liquid supply tank 11 via first cleaning liquid feed tube 20. When specimen liquid feed pump 15 is also driven at this time, cleaning liquid 43 fed to specimen liquid supply tank 11 is fed to liquid holding flow path 23 via specimen liquid feed tube 16. In this way, in microorganism treatment device 1, the flow path of specimen liquid 41 extending from specimen liquid supply tank 11, specimen liquid feed tube 16, and liquid holding flow path 23 can be cleaned with cleaning liquid 43.

[0033] The second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is a tank that stores the amount of cleaning liquid 43 required for cleaning the flow path of the staining liquid 42. The second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 and the staining liquid supply tank 12 are connected via a second cleaning liquid supply tube 22 made of, for example, silicone rubber. As shown in FIG. 2, a user of the microorganism treatment device 1 also injects a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid 43 into the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 using a dropper before filtering the specimen liquid 41 and staining the microorganisms with the microorganism treatment device 1. The second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 corresponds to one of the "cleaning liquid supply tanks" in the present disclosure.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 , the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 is a tube pump provided midway through the second cleaning liquid feed tube 22, and is connected to the staining liquid supply tank 12 via the second cleaning liquid feed tube 22. The second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 is driven under the control of the control unit 35. When the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 is driven, the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is fed to the staining liquid supply tank 12 via the second cleaning liquid feed tube 22. When the staining liquid feed pump 17 is also driven at this time, the cleaning liquid 43 fed to the staining liquid supply tank 12 is fed to the liquid holding flow path 23 via the staining liquid feed tube 18. This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to clean the flow path of the staining liquid 42 extending from the staining liquid supply tank 12, the staining liquid feed tube 18, and the liquid holding flow path 23 with the cleaning liquid 43.

[0035] Here, by using tube pumps for the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 and the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21, the cleaning liquid 43 is fed through the respective tubes, thereby enabling the microorganism treatment device 1 to suppress the occurrence of pump corrosion due to the cleaning liquid 43 and the generation of contaminants due to the corrosion.

[0036] In this embodiment, the same cleaning liquid 43 is used as the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 and the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14. However, different types of cleaning liquid 43 may be used for each tank, with the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 being suitable for washing the sample liquid 41 and the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 being suitable for washing the staining liquid 42.

[0037] Suction pump 29 is a diaphragm pump that is connected to liquid holding flow path 23 via suction flow path 28 and sucks the liquid inside liquid holding flow path 23. Suction pump 29 is driven under the control of control unit 35.

[0038] When suction pump 29 is driven while specimen liquid 41 is held on filter 33 inside liquid holding flow path 23, specimen liquid 41 inside liquid holding flow path 23 is sucked through through-hole 34a of chip 34 and suction flow path 28. By this suction, microorganisms contained in specimen liquid 41 are filtered onto filter 33.

[0039] Furthermore, when suction pump 29 is driven with staining solution 42 held on filter 33 inside liquid holding flow channel 23, staining solution 42 inside liquid holding flow channel 23 is sucked through through-hole 34a of chip 34 and suction flow channel 28, and staining solution 42 is filtered from liquid holding flow channel 23. Furthermore, when suction pump 29 is driven with cleaning solution 43 inside liquid holding flow channel 23, cleaning solution 43 inside liquid holding flow channel 23 is sucked through through-hole 34a of chip 34 and suction flow channel 28, and cleaning solution 43 is filtered from liquid holding flow channel 23.

[0040] The waste liquid tank 30 is a tank for storing the liquids (specimen liquid 41, staining liquid 42, and cleaning liquid 43) aspirated by the suction pump 29 as waste liquid. The liquids aspirated by the suction pump 29 are sent to the waste liquid tank 30 and stored therein.

[0041] Branch path 31 is a path branched from suction path 28 between liquid holding path 23 and suction pump 29, and is connected to solenoid valve 32. Solenoid valve 32 is a valve whose opening and closing is controlled by control unit 35, and when in an open state, connects branch path 31 to an external space, thereby releasing residual pressure between liquid holding path 23 and suction pump 29 via branch path 31. Here, the external space refers to a space external to suction path 28, and may be not only a space outside the housing of microbial treatment device 1 but also a space inside the housing, as long as it is outside suction path 28.

[0042] In the microbial treatment device 1, when the suction pump 29 suctions the specimen liquid 41 inside the liquid holding flow path 23, the suction flow path 28 between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction pump 29 becomes negative pressure. In the microbial treatment device 1, even if the staining liquid 42 is sent to the liquid holding flow path 23 while this negative pressure remains in the suction flow path 28, there is a risk that the staining liquid 42 will be directly sucked toward the suction pump 29. In response to this, the microbial treatment device 1 opens the solenoid valve 32 under the control of the control unit 35 before the staining liquid 42 is sent to the liquid holding flow path 23, thereby connecting the branch path 31 to the external space. This releases the residual pressure in the suction flow path 28 between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction pump 29. Therefore, the microbial treatment device 1 prevents the staining liquid 42 from being sucked toward the suction pump 29 due to the residual pressure, and can prevent the staining liquid 42 from being filtered before it comes into sufficient contact with the microorganisms.

[0043] Metal block 24 is provided on the outer periphery of liquid holding flow path 23, and heater 25 is attached as described above. When a heater heating switch (not shown) provided in microbial treatment device 1 is turned on, heater 25 heats metal block 24 while being controlled by control unit 35 so that the temperature of the liquid inside liquid holding flow path 23 remains constant between 30 and 40°C. Metal block 24 conducts heat from heater 25, and heats staining solution 42 and microorganisms from the outer periphery of liquid holding flow path 23, for example, when microorganisms on filter 33 are stained with staining solution 42 that has been delivered to and held in liquid holding flow path 23.

[0044] As a result, the microorganism treatment device 1 can bring the staining solution 42 and the microorganisms into contact with each other in a heated state inside the liquid holding flow path 23, thereby improving the efficiency of staining the microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can more reliably stabilize the measurement of the microorganisms in the next step. Furthermore, since the wall of the liquid holding flow path 23 is interposed between the metal block 24 and the specimen liquid 41 or the staining solution 42, it is possible to prevent the liquid from coming into contact with the metal of the metal block 24. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can prevent corrosion of the metal block 24 caused by contact between the metal and the liquid, and prevent the corroded material from being filtered onto the filter 33 as contaminants.

[0045] The heating by the heater 25 is stopped when the heater heating switch is turned off, and from the viewpoint of safety, it may also be stopped when a predetermined time (for example, four hours) has elapsed since the heating started.

[0046] Next, the operation of the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the filtration and staining process executed by the control unit 35. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing an example of the operating status of the heater 25, specimen liquid supply pump 15, first cleaning liquid supply pump 19, staining liquid supply pump 17, second cleaning liquid supply pump 21, suction pump 29, and solenoid valve 32 when the control unit 35 executes the filtration and staining process. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing another example of the operating status of each component when the control unit 35 executes the filtration and staining process. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the arrows indicate the corresponding components in operation.

[0047] The filtration and staining process is a process for automatically performing pre-processing before measuring microorganisms using the microorganism detection device 50, and the microorganism treatment device 1 performs filtering of the sample liquid 41 using a filter 33, and staining of the microorganisms remaining on the filter 33 using a staining solution 42, etc.

[0048] Before the execution of this process is started, the user turns on a heater heating switch (not shown), which starts pre-heating by heater 25 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). As a result, heat from heater 25 is transferred to liquid holding flow path 23 via metal block 24, and liquid holding flow path 23 is heated.

[0049] 2, the user places the chip 34 with the filter 33 on it in the microorganism detection device 1. That is, the user removes the chip 34 from the microorganism detection device 50, places the filter 33 on the chip 34, and then places the chip 34 with the filter 33 on it so that it is sandwiched between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction flow path 28. Before the user places the microorganism detection device 1 in the microorganism detection device 50, the user injects the specimen liquid 41 into the specimen liquid supply tank 11 and the staining liquid supply tank 12. The user also injects the cleaning liquid 43 into the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 and the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14.

[0050] After the chip 34 is installed and each liquid is injected into the corresponding tank, the microbial treatment device 1 begins performing the filtration and staining process by the control unit 35 when the user turns on the pretreatment switch (not shown).

[0051] When the control unit 35 starts the filtering and staining process, it delivers and filters the specimen liquid 41 (S11). Specifically, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the control unit 35 drives the specimen liquid delivery pump 15 and also drives the suction pump 29.

[0052] By driving specimen liquid delivery pump 15, specimen liquid 41 is delivered from specimen liquid supply tank 11 to liquid holding flow path 23 via specimen liquid delivery tube 16, with filter 33 provided inside liquid holding flow path 23. Then, by driving suction pump 29, specimen liquid 41 inside liquid holding flow path 23 is sucked through suction flow path 28, and microorganisms contained in specimen liquid 41 are filtered onto filter 33. Specimen liquid 41 sucked by suction pump 29 and filtered by filter 33 is stored in waste liquid tank 30.

[0053] Control unit 35 continues the process of S11 for a period of time sufficient for all of specimen liquid 41 stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11 to be sent to liquid holding flow path 23, and for the specimen liquid to be sucked by suction pump 29 and filtered by filter 33. In the examples shown in Figures 4 and 5, the time required for this period is set to 2 minutes.

[0054] Next, after the process of S11, controller 35 delivers and filters cleaning liquid 43 (referred to as "first cleaning liquid" in FIGS. 3 to 5) for cleaning the flow path of specimen liquid 41 (S12). That is, controller 35 performs the following control after specimen liquid delivery pump 15 delivers specimen liquid 41 from specimen liquid supply tank 11 to liquid holding flow path 23 and after suction pump 29 has aspirated specimen liquid 41 from liquid holding flow path 23. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, controller 35 newly drives first cleaning liquid delivery pump 19 while continuing to drive specimen liquid delivery pump 15 and suction pump 29.

[0055] By driving first cleaning liquid feed pump 19, cleaning liquid 43 stored in first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is fed via first cleaning liquid feed tube 20 to specimen liquid supply tank 11, which has been emptied of specimen liquid 41. Furthermore, because specimen liquid feed pump 15 is continuously driven, cleaning liquid 43 fed to specimen liquid supply tank 11 is fed via specimen liquid feed tube 16 to liquid holding flow path 23. Furthermore, because suction pump 29 is continuously driven, cleaning liquid 43 fed to liquid holding flow path 23 passes through filter 33, passes through through-hole 34a of tip 34, and is aspirated via suction flow path 28. The aspirated cleaning liquid 43 is stored in waste liquid tank 30.

[0056] The control unit 35 continues the process of S12 for a period of time sufficient for all of the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 to be sent to the liquid holding flow path 23, and for the cleaning liquid 43 to be sucked by the suction pump 29 and filtered by the filter 33. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the time required for this period is set to 2 minutes.

[0057] As a result, cleaning liquid 43 is flowed into the liquid holding flow path 23 after the specimen liquid 41 has been aspirated, so that the microorganism treatment device 1 can dilute the adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms to the filter 33, thereby reducing factors that cause noise in subsequent measurements of microorganisms.

[0058] Furthermore, in the microorganism treatment device 1, the user previously pours a required amount of cleaning liquid 43 for the specimen liquid 41 into the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13. As a result, in the microorganism treatment device 1, an appropriate amount of cleaning liquid 43 is sent from the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 to the liquid holding flow path 23 and is also sucked from the liquid holding flow path 23. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can appropriately perform automatic cleaning to dilute the adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms to the filter 33.

[0059] Furthermore, the microorganism treatment device 1 sends a cleaning liquid 43 to the flow path of the specimen liquid 41, from the specimen liquid supply tank 11 through the specimen liquid delivery tube 16 to the liquid holding flow path 23. This makes it possible to wash away any residual liquid in the flow path of the specimen liquid 41 up to the liquid holding flow path 23, including the specimen liquid supply tank 11 and the specimen liquid delivery tube 16, and to suppress the generation of contaminants when performing continuous microorganism measurements.

[0060] After a predetermined time (two minutes in the example shown in Figures 4 and 5) has elapsed since starting the process of S12, the control unit 35 stops driving the sample liquid delivery pump 15, the first cleaning liquid delivery pump 19, and the suction pump 29.

[0061] Next, the control unit 35 sends the staining liquid 42 (S13). Specifically, the control unit 35 opens the electromagnetic valve 32 and then drives the staining liquid sending pump 17.

[0062] By opening the solenoid valve 32, the branch path 31 is connected to the external space. As a result, the residual pressure in the suction path 28 between the liquid holding path 23 and the suction pump 29, which has been negatively pressurized due to suction by the suction pump 29 in the processes of S11 and S12, is released by the branch path 31 connected to the external space. Furthermore, by driving the staining liquid delivery pump 17, the staining liquid 42 is delivered from the staining liquid supply tank 12 to the liquid holding path 23 via the staining liquid delivery tube 18. At this time, as described above, the residual pressure in the suction path 28 is released, so that the staining liquid 42 delivered to the liquid holding path 23 is not sucked into the suction pump 29 and remains in the liquid holding path 23.

[0063] The control unit 35 continues the process of S13 for a period of time sufficient for all of the staining solution 42 stored in the staining solution supply tank 12 to be sent to the liquid holding flow path 23. In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the time required for this period is set to one minute. Once this time has elapsed since the start of the process of S13, the control unit 35 closes the solenoid valve 32, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and isolates the branch path 31 and the suction flow path 28 branching from the branch path 31 from the external space.

[0064] At this time, the control unit 35 may continue driving the staining liquid supply pump 17 as shown in FIG. 4, or may stop driving the staining liquid supply pump 17 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0065] In the filtering and dyeing process, it is necessary to drive the staining solution feed pump 17 again in the process of S16, which will be described later. Because the staining solution supply tank 12 is empty when the process of S13 is completed, there is no problem in continuing to drive the staining solution feed pump 17 until the process of S16 is completed, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, by continuing to drive the staining solution feed pump 17 without repeatedly driving and stopping the staining solution feed pump 17, the control unit 35 can simplify the program used by the control unit 35 to execute the filtering and dyeing process.

[0066] 5, the control unit 35 stops driving the staining solution supply pump 17 when the process of S13 is completed, thereby preventing the staining solution supply pump 17 from continuing to be driven even when the staining solution supply tank 12 is empty. Therefore, in this case, the microorganism treatment device 1 can achieve low noise and power consumption.

[0067] After completing the process of S13, the control unit 35 then heats the staining solution 42 (S14). Specifically, the control unit 35 keeps the suction pump 29 stopped, and causes the staining solution 42 to be held in the liquid holding flow path 23 for a predetermined period of time (10 minutes after the start of the process of S14 in the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0068] Here, by pre-heating using heater 25, the liquid inside liquid holding flow path 23 is controlled to a constant temperature between 30 and 40°C by heat conducted through metal block 24. In the process of S14, staining solution 42 is held in liquid holding flow path 23 for a predetermined period (10 minutes), and staining solution 42 and the microorganisms on filter 33 are heated by heat from metal block 24 conducted from the outer periphery of liquid holding flow path 23. Therefore, microorganism treatment device 1 can bring staining solution 42 and microorganisms into contact with each other in a heated state inside liquid holding flow path 23, thereby improving the efficiency of staining microorganisms.

[0069] Next, the control unit 35 filters the staining solution 42 (S15). Specifically, the control unit 35 drives the suction pump 29, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. By driving the suction pump 29, the staining solution 42 held in the liquid holding flow path 23 is sucked through the through-hole 34a of the chip 34 and the suction flow path 28, and filtered by the filter 33. The staining solution 42 sucked by the suction pump 29 and filtered by the filter 33 is stored in the waste liquid tank 30.

[0070] The control unit 35 continues the process of S15 for a period of time sufficient for the staining solution 42 held in the solution holding flow path 23 to be sucked by the suction pump 29 and filtered by the filter 33. In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the time required for this period is set to one minute.

[0071] Next, after the process of S15, the control unit 35 feeds and filters a cleaning liquid 43 (referred to as "second cleaning liquid" in FIGS. 3 to 5) for cleaning the flow path of the staining liquid 42 (S16). That is, the control unit 35 performs the following control after the staining liquid feed pump 17 feeds the staining liquid 42 from the staining liquid supply tank 12 to the liquid holding flow path 23 and after the suction pump 29 has sucked the staining liquid 42 from the liquid holding flow path 23. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the control unit 35 continues to drive the staining liquid feed pump 17 (FIG. 4) or newly drives it (FIG. 5), and newly drives the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 while continuing to drive the suction pump 29.

[0072] By driving the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21, the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is fed via the second cleaning liquid feed tube 22 to the staining liquid supply tank 12, which has been emptied of staining liquid 42. In addition, since the staining liquid feed pump 17 is driven, the cleaning liquid 43 fed to the staining liquid supply tank 12 is fed via the staining liquid feed tube 18 to the liquid holding flow path 23. Furthermore, since the suction pump 29 is continuously driven, the cleaning liquid 43 fed to the liquid holding flow path 23 passes through the filter 33, passes through the through-hole 34a of the tip 34, and is sucked via the suction flow path 28. The sucked cleaning liquid 43 is stored in the waste liquid tank 30.

[0073] The control unit 35 continues the process of S16 for a period of time sufficient for all of the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 to be sent to the liquid holding flow path 23, and for the cleaning liquid 43 to be sucked by the suction pump 29 and filtered by the filter 33. In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the time required for this period is set to 3 minutes.

[0074] As a result, cleaning liquid 43 is flowed into the liquid holding flow path 23 after the staining liquid 42 has been sucked in, so that the microorganism treatment device 1 can dilute the adhesion of the staining liquid 42 to the filter 33, thereby reducing factors that cause noise in subsequent microorganism measurements.

[0075] Furthermore, in the microorganism treatment device 1, the user preliminarily pours a required amount of cleaning liquid 43 relative to the staining liquid 42 into the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14. As a result, in the microorganism treatment device 1, an appropriate amount of cleaning liquid 43 is sent from the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 to the liquid holding flow path 23 and is also sucked from the liquid holding flow path 23. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can properly automate and perform cleaning to dilute the staining liquid 42 adhering to the filter 33.

[0076] Furthermore, the microorganism treatment device 1 sends a cleaning liquid 43 to the flow path of the staining liquid 42, from the staining liquid supply tank 12 through the staining liquid feed tube 18 to the liquid holding flow path 23. This makes it possible to wash away any residual liquid in the flow path of the staining liquid 42 up to the liquid holding flow path 23, including the staining liquid supply tank 12 and the staining liquid feed tube 18, and to suppress the generation of contaminants when performing continuous microorganism measurements.

[0077] When the process of S16 has been completed for a predetermined period (in the examples of Figures 4 and 5, the period from the start of the process of S16 until 3 minutes have elapsed), the control unit 35 stops the staining liquid supply pump 17, the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21, and the suction pump 29, thereby completing the filtration and staining process.

[0078] The above-described microorganism treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment provides the following advantageous effects.

[0079] (1) In the microorganism processing device 1, the specimen liquid 41 containing microorganisms is sent to the liquid holding flow path 23 by the specimen liquid feed pump 15, and then aspirated by the suction pump 29, thereby filtering the specimen liquid 41 and leaving the microorganisms on the filter 33. The microorganism processing device 1 further sends a staining solution 42 to the liquid holding flow path 23 by the staining solution feed pump 17 to stain the microorganisms on the filter 33, and then aspirates the staining solution 42 with the suction pump 29, thereby filtering the staining solution 42. As a result, the stained microorganisms remain on the filter 33. Therefore, the microorganism processing device 1 can automatically filter the liquid containing microorganisms and stain the microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism processing device 1 reduces the effort required for filtering the liquid containing microorganisms and staining the microorganisms, and can stabilize the subsequent measurement of the microorganisms.

[0080] (2) In the microorganism treatment device 1, a filter 33 is placed on a chip 34 that can be used for measuring microorganisms in the next step, and the chip 34 is then placed in the liquid holding flow path 23. In the microorganism treatment device 1, the specimen liquid 41 and / or staining liquid 42 is filtered through the through-holes 34a of the placed chip 34. Therefore, after filtering the specimen liquid 41 and / or staining liquid 42, a user of the microorganism treatment device 1 does not need to replace the filter 33 with a chip 34 for measuring microorganisms, but can simply remove the chip 34 with the filter 33 and use it directly for measuring microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 reduces the labor required for replacing the filter 33, suppresses variations in measurement results, and stabilizes subsequent microorganism measurements.

[0081] (3) In the microbial treatment device 1, when the staining solution 42 is sent to the liquid holding flow path 23 to stain the microorganisms, the metal block 24, to which the heater 25 is attached, heats the staining solution 42 and the microorganisms. Therefore, the microbial treatment device 1 can bring the staining solution 42 and the microorganisms into contact with each other in a heated state inside the liquid holding flow path 23, thereby improving the efficiency of staining the microorganisms. Therefore, the microbial treatment device 1 can more reliably stabilize the measurement of the microorganisms in the next step. Furthermore, in the microbial treatment device 1, the wall of the liquid holding flow path 23 is interposed between the metal block 24 and the liquid held in the liquid holding flow path 23, thereby preventing the liquid from coming into contact with the metal block 24. Therefore, the microbial treatment device 1 can prevent corrosion caused by contact between the metal block 24 and the liquid, and prevent the corrosive material from being filtered onto a filter as contaminants.

[0082] (4) In the microorganism treatment device 1, when the suction pump 29 aspirates the specimen liquid 41 inside the liquid holding flow path 23, a negative pressure is created between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction pump 29. As a result, even if the microorganism treatment device 1 sends the staining liquid 42 to the liquid holding flow path 23 under these conditions, there is a risk that the staining liquid 42 will be sucked directly into the suction pump 29 due to the residual pressure between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction pump 29. In response to this, the microorganism treatment device 1 opens the solenoid valve 32 before sending the staining liquid 42 to the liquid holding flow path 23, thereby connecting the branch path 31 to the external space and releasing the residual pressure (negative pressure) between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction pump 29. As a result, the microorganism treatment device 1 prevents the staining liquid 42 from being sucked into the suction pump 29 due to the residual pressure, and can prevent the staining liquid 42 from being filtered before it comes into sufficient contact with the microorganisms.

[0083] (5) In the microbial treatment device 1, the specimen liquid feed pump 15 feeds the specimen liquid 41 to the liquid holding flow path 23 with the filter 33 provided inside the liquid holding flow path 23, and the suction pump 29 aspirates the specimen liquid 41 from inside the liquid holding flow path 23. In addition, the microbial treatment device 1 feeds the staining liquid 42 that stains the microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path 23 with the staining liquid feed pump 17, and aspirates the staining liquid 42 from inside the liquid holding flow path 23 with the suction pump 29. This allows the microbial treatment device 1 to completely separate the flow path of the specimen liquid 41 to the liquid holding flow path 23 from the flow path of the staining liquid 42 to the liquid holding flow path 23, and can feed the specimen liquid 41 and the staining liquid 42. Therefore, the microbial treatment device 1 can prevent the staining liquid 42 from coming into contact with the water contained in the specimen liquid 41 before being fed to the liquid holding flow path 23, causing a precipitate to form, and the precipitate from being filtered on the filter as a contaminant.

[0084] (6) In the microorganism treatment device 1, a cleaning liquid 43 is flowed into the liquid holding flow path 23 after the specimen liquid 41 and / or staining liquid 42 have been aspirated. This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to dilute adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms to the filter 33, and to dilute adhesion of components of the staining liquid 42 to the filter 33. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can suppress adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 and / or components of the staining liquid 42 other than microorganisms to the filter 33, thereby reducing factors that cause noise in the measurement of microorganisms.

[0085] (7) The microbial treatment device 1 stores in advance in the first washing liquid supply tank 13 the amount of washing liquid 43 required for the specimen liquid 41, and stores in the second washing liquid supply tank 14 the amount of washing liquid 43 required for the staining liquid 42. After the suction pump 29 has aspirated the specimen liquid 41 from the liquid holding flow path 23, the microbial treatment device 1 sends all of the washing liquid 43 in the first washing liquid supply tank 13 toward the liquid holding flow path 23 and also aspirates the washing liquid 43 from the liquid holding flow path 23. After the suction pump 29 has aspirated the staining liquid 42 from the liquid holding flow path 23, the microbial treatment device 1 sends all of the washing liquid 43 in the second washing liquid supply tank 14 toward the liquid holding flow path 23 and also aspirates the washing liquid 43 from the liquid holding flow path 23. As a result, the microorganism treatment device 1 can automate not only the filtration of the liquid containing microorganisms and the staining of the microorganisms, but also the cleaning to dilute the adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms to the filter 33 and the components of the staining liquid 42 adhering to the filter 33. Furthermore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can appropriately perform these cleaning operations by separating the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 that stores the cleaning liquid 43 for the specimen liquid 41 from the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 that stores the cleaning liquid 43 for the staining liquid 42. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can more reliably stabilize the subsequent microorganism measurements.

[0086] (8) The microbial treatment apparatus 1 sends cleaning liquid 43, stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 in an amount necessary for cleaning the specimen liquid 41, to the specimen liquid supply tank 11 through the liquid holding flow path 23, which is the flow path for the specimen liquid 41, by the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 and the specimen liquid feed pump 15. The microbial treatment apparatus 1 also sends cleaning liquid 43, stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 in an amount necessary for cleaning the staining liquid 42, to the flow path for the staining liquid 42, from the staining liquid supply tank 12 through the liquid holding flow path 23, by the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 and the staining liquid feed pump 17. Thus, the microbial treatment apparatus 1 can wash and remove residual liquid from the flow paths up to the liquid holding flow path 23 for the specimen liquid 41 and the staining liquid 42, including the specimen liquid supply tank 11 and the staining liquid supply tank 12, and can suppress the generation of contaminants when performing continuous microbial measurements.

[0087] (Second embodiment) 6 and 7, a microbial treatment device 1 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0088] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a time chart showing an example of the operating conditions of the heater 25, the specimen liquid supply pump 15, the first cleaning liquid supply pump 19, the staining liquid supply pump 17, the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21, the suction pump 29, and the solenoid valve 32 when the control unit 35 of the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment performs the filtration and staining process shown in Fig. 3.

[0089] In the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is connected to the specimen liquid supply tank 11 via the first cleaning liquid delivery tube 20, and a cleaning liquid 43 for the specimen liquid 41 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is delivered to the specimen liquid supply tank 11. In addition, in the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is connected to the staining liquid supply tank 12 via the second cleaning liquid delivery tube 22, and a cleaning liquid 43 for the staining liquid 42 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is delivered to the staining liquid supply tank 12.

[0090] In contrast, in the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is connected to the liquid holding flow path 23 via a first cleaning liquid delivery tube 61, and the cleaning liquid 43 for the specimen liquid 41 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is delivered to the liquid holding flow path 23. Also, in the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is connected to the liquid holding flow path 23 via a second cleaning liquid delivery tube 62, and the cleaning liquid 43 for the staining liquid 42 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is delivered to the liquid holding flow path 23. That is, the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 and the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 are delivered directly to the liquid holding flow path 23, rather than being delivered to the specimen liquid supply tank 11 or the staining liquid supply tank 12. The first cleaning liquid delivery tube 61 and the second cleaning liquid delivery tube 62 are made of, for example, silicone rubber.

[0091] 6, the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 is provided midway through the first cleaning liquid feed tube 61, and is connected to the liquid holding flow path 23 via the first cleaning liquid feed tube 61. When the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 is driven under the control of the control unit 35, the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is fed to the liquid holding flow path 23 via the first cleaning liquid feed tube 61.

[0092] Furthermore, second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 is provided midway through second cleaning liquid feed tube 62, and is connected to liquid holding flow path 23 via second cleaning liquid feed tube 62. When second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 is driven under the control of control unit 35, cleaning liquid 43 stored in second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is fed to liquid holding flow path 23 via second cleaning liquid feed tube 62.

[0093] The first cleaning liquid feed pump 19 and the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 according to the second embodiment each correspond to one of the "liquid feed pumps" of the present disclosure.

[0094] In the second embodiment, when the control unit 35 executes the filtration and staining process shown in Figure 3, as shown in Figure 7, the specific control of the process of S12 and the process of S16 differs from that of the microorganism treatment device 1 of the first embodiment (see Figure 5).

[0095] In the second embodiment, in the process of S12 in which cleaning liquid 43 (first cleaning liquid) is delivered to and filtered by sample liquid 41, the operation of sample liquid delivery pump 15 is stopped, and then first cleaning liquid delivery pump 19 is driven again while continuing to drive suction pump 29. By driving first cleaning liquid delivery pump 19, cleaning liquid 43 stored in first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is delivered via first cleaning liquid delivery tube 61 to liquid holding flow path 23 after sample liquid 41 has been aspirated by suction pump 29. Furthermore, since suction pump 29 continues to be driven, cleaning liquid 43 delivered to liquid holding flow path 23 passes through filter 33, passes through through-hole 34a of tip 34, and is aspirated via suction flow path 28. The aspirated cleaning liquid 43 is stored in waste liquid tank 30.

[0096] In addition, in the process of S16 in which a cleaning liquid 43 (second cleaning liquid) is fed and filtered for the staining liquid 42, the operation of the staining liquid feed pump 17 is stopped, and then the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21 is newly driven while continuing to drive the suction pump 29. The operation of the staining liquid feed pump 17 is stopped at the end of the process of S13 in which the staining liquid 42 is fed, and this stop may be continued until the process of S16. By driving the second cleaning liquid feed pump 21, the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is fed via the second cleaning liquid feed tube 62 to the liquid holding flow path 23 from which the staining liquid 42 has been aspirated by the suction pump 29. Furthermore, since the suction pump 29 continues to be driven, the cleaning liquid 43 fed to the liquid holding flow path 23 passes through the filter 33, passes through the through-hole 34a of the tip 34, and is aspirated via the suction flow path 28. The aspirated cleaning liquid 43 is stored in the waste liquid tank 30.

[0097] As described above, the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the second embodiment does not wash the specimen liquid supply tank 11 and the specimen liquid delivery tube 16 or the staining liquid supply tank 12 and the staining liquid delivery tube 18 during the filtration and staining process, but does automatically clean the liquid holding flow path 23. That is, the microorganism treatment device 1 automatically cleans the liquid holding flow path 23 with the cleaning liquid 43 after the specimen liquid 41 has been aspirated, thereby reducing the adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms to the filter 33. Furthermore, the microorganism treatment device 1 automatically cleans the liquid holding flow path 23 with the cleaning liquid 43 after the staining liquid 42 has been aspirated, thereby reducing the adhesion of the staining liquid 42 to the filter 33. Thus, the microorganism treatment device 1 can suppress the adhesion of components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms and / or components of the staining liquid 42 to the filter 33, thereby reducing factors that cause noise in microorganism measurements.

[0098] In addition, the microbial treatment device 1 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment, and can therefore achieve the same effects as those of the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0099] Note that the specimen liquid supply tank 11 is empty at the stage of the process in S12, and the staining solution supply tank 12 is empty at the stage of the process in S16. Therefore, even if the specimen liquid delivery pump 15 is driven in the process in S12, it has no effect on the cleaning of the specimen liquid 41. Furthermore, even if the staining solution delivery pump 17 is driven in the process in S16, it has no effect on the cleaning of the staining solution 42. Therefore, in the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, even if the filtration and staining process is performed by the control unit 35 according to the time chart shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the same effects as those in the case of the time chart shown in FIG. 7 are achieved.

[0100] (Third embodiment) Next, a microbial treatment device 1 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9, focusing on the differences from the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0101] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment. Fig. 9 is a time chart showing an example of the operating conditions of the heater 25, the liquid supply pump 73, the specimen liquid valve 71, the first cleaning liquid supply pump 19, the staining liquid valve 72, the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21, the suction pump 29, and the solenoid valve 32 when the control unit 35 of the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment performs the filtration and staining process shown in Fig. 3.

[0102] The microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has a specimen liquid feed pump 15 that feeds the specimen liquid 41 stored in the specimen liquid supply tank 11 to the liquid holding flow path 23, and a staining liquid feed pump 17 that feeds the staining liquid 42 stored in the staining liquid supply tank 12 to the liquid holding flow path 23. In contrast, the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment uses a single liquid feed pump 73 to feed the specimen liquid 41 stored in the specimen liquid supply tank 11 to the liquid holding flow path 23 and to feed the staining liquid 42 stored in the staining liquid supply tank 12 to the liquid holding flow path 23.

[0103] In the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, a specimen liquid delivery tube 74, which delivers specimen liquid 41 from the specimen liquid supply tank 11, and a staining liquid delivery tube 75, which delivers staining liquid 42 from the staining liquid supply tank 12, are connected to a single delivery tube 76. For example, a T-shaped tube connector made of silicone resin is used for this connection. The delivery tube 76 is connected to the liquid holding flow path 23. For example, silicone rubber tubes are used for the specimen liquid delivery tube 74, the staining liquid delivery tube 75, and the delivery tube 76.

[0104] A specimen liquid valve 71 is provided midway along specimen liquid delivery tube 74. Specimen liquid valve 71 switches specimen liquid delivery tube 74 between a conductive state and a non-conductive state. The opening and closing of specimen liquid valve 71 is controlled by control unit 35. When specimen liquid valve 71 is controlled to an open state, specimen liquid delivery tube 74 is brought into a conductive state, and specimen liquid 41 stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11 is delivered to delivery tube 76 via specimen liquid delivery tube 74. When specimen liquid valve 71 is controlled to a closed state, specimen liquid delivery tube 74 is brought into a non-conductive state, and delivery of specimen liquid 41 stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11 to delivery tube 76 is stopped.

[0105] A dyeing liquid valve 72 is provided midway through the dyeing liquid feed tube 75. The dyeing liquid valve 72 is a valve that switches the dyeing liquid feed tube 75 between a conductive state and a non-conductive state. The opening and closing of the dyeing liquid valve 72 is controlled by the control unit 35. When the dyeing liquid valve 72 is controlled to an open state, the dyeing liquid feed tube 75 is brought into a conductive state, and the dyeing liquid 42 stored in the dyeing liquid supply tank 12 is fed to the feed tube 76 via the dyeing liquid feed tube 75. When the dyeing liquid valve 72 is controlled to a closed state, the dyeing liquid feed tube 75 is brought into a non-conductive state, and the feed of the dyeing liquid 42 stored in the dyeing liquid supply tank 12 to the feed tube 76 is stopped.

[0106] The liquid supply pump 73 is a tube pump provided midway through the liquid supply tube 76, and is connected to the liquid holding flow path 23 via the liquid supply tube 76. The liquid supply pump 73 is driven under the control of the control unit 35. With the filter 33 provided inside the liquid holding flow path 23, when the sample liquid valve 71 is opened and the liquid supply pump 73 is driven, the sample liquid 41 (or cleaning liquid 43) stored in the sample liquid supply tank 11 is sent to the liquid holding flow path 23 and is retained on the filter 33. When the staining liquid valve 72 is opened and the liquid supply pump 73 is driven, the staining liquid 42 (or cleaning liquid 43) stored in the staining liquid supply tank 12 is sent to the liquid holding flow path 23 and is retained on the filter 33.

[0107] Here, by using a tube pump as the liquid delivery pump 73, the specimen liquid 41, staining liquid 42, and cleaning liquid 43 are delivered through tubes, which allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to prevent the occurrence of pump corrosion due to the liquids and the generation of contaminants due to the corrosion.

[0108] Next, the operation of each component when the control unit 35 executes the filtering and staining process shown in Fig. 3 in the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the third embodiment, the driving of the specimen liquid delivery pump 15 in the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment is replaced by control that drives the liquid delivery pump 73 after the specimen liquid valve 71 is opened. This allows the specimen liquid 41 or cleaning liquid 43 stored in the specimen liquid supply tank 11 to be delivered to the liquid holding flow path 23, just like in the first embodiment.

[0109] Furthermore, in the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the third embodiment, the driving of the staining solution feed pump 17 of the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment may be replaced with control that drives the solution feed pump 73 after opening the staining solution valve 72. This allows the staining solution 42 or cleaning solution 43 stored in the staining solution supply tank 12 to be fed to the solution holding flow path 23, just like in the first embodiment.

[0110] The time chart shown in Fig. 9 is a replacement of the time chart shown in Fig. 4 of the first embodiment with the above-mentioned control, but the time chart shown in Fig. 5 of the first embodiment may also be replaced with the above-mentioned control. This also allows the filtration and staining treatment to be performed appropriately in the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0111] As described above, the microorganism treatment device 1 according to the third embodiment can use a single liquid feed pump 73 to feed the specimen liquid 41 to the liquid holding flow path 23 and the staining liquid 42 to the liquid holding flow path 23. Even when using a single liquid feed pump 73, the microorganism treatment device 1 uses the liquid feed pump 73 to feed the specimen liquid 41 containing microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path 23, and then uses the suction pump 29 to aspirate the specimen liquid 41, thereby filtering the specimen liquid 41 and leaving the microorganisms on the filter 33. The microorganism treatment device 1 also uses the liquid feed pump 73 to feed the staining liquid 42 to the liquid holding flow path 23 to stain the microorganisms on the filter 33, and then uses the suction pump 29 to aspirate the staining liquid 42, thereby filtering the staining liquid 42. As a result, the stained microorganisms remain on the filter 33. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can automatically filter the microorganism-containing liquid and stain the microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 reduces the effort required for filtering the microorganism-containing liquid and staining the microorganisms, and can stabilize the subsequent microorganism measurement.

[0112] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, both the specimen liquid 41 and the staining liquid 42 are fed to the liquid feed tube 76, and the liquid feed tube 76 can also be washed with the cleaning liquid 43 after feeding the specimen liquid 41 and after feeding the staining liquid 42. This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to prevent the remaining liquid of the specimen liquid 41 from coming into contact with the staining liquid 42 in the liquid feed tube 76, or the remaining liquid of the staining liquid 42 from coming into contact with the specimen liquid 41. This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to prevent the water of the specimen liquid 41 from coming into contact with the staining liquid 42, which would otherwise cause a precipitate to form in the liquid feed tube 76, and prevent this precipitate from being filtered onto the filter 33 as a contaminant.

[0113] In addition, the microbial treatment device 1 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment, and can therefore achieve the same effects as those of the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0114] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a microbial treatment device 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment, with reference to Fig. 10. The same components as those of the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0115] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a microorganism treatment apparatus 1 according to the fourth embodiment.

[0116] In the case of the microbial treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment, an O-ring 26 is attached to the outer periphery of the downstream end of the liquid holding flow path 23. Then, when the tip 34 is sandwiched between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction flow path 28, the O-ring 26 seals the space between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the tip 34 (or the filter 33 mounted on the tip 34). In contrast, the microbial treatment device 1 according to the fourth embodiment has a packing 81 instead of the O-ring 26, as shown in FIG.

[0117] In the fourth embodiment, the liquid holding flow path 23 is configured by a hard tube 23a, which is a hard tube (pipe). For example, a hard PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) tube is used for the hard tube 23a.

[0118] The packing 81 is made of a stretchable material, preferably silicone rubber, and is configured to have an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the hard tube 23a. For example, if the outer diameter of the hard tube 23a is 10 mm, the packing 81 has an inner diameter of 9 mm and an outer diameter of 12 mm.

[0119] Such packing 81 is attached to hard tube 23a so as to stretch toward the downstream end of liquid holding flow path 23. This allows microbial treatment device 1 to ensure close contact between liquid holding flow path 23 and packing 81. Furthermore, because liquid holding flow path 23 is formed from hard tube 23a, it can maintain its shape even when packing 81 shrinks. In particular, if silicone rubber is used for packing 81, the soft silicone shrinkage of packing 81 allows liquid holding flow path 23 to reliably maintain its shape even when packing 81 shrinks.

[0120] Furthermore, the packing 81 has a predetermined height. The packing 81 is attached with a portion in the height direction covering the hard tube 23a and the remaining portion protruding outside the hard tube 23a. When the tip 34 on which the filter 33 is mounted is sandwiched between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction flow path 28, the packing 81 is attached so as to be sandwiched and compressed between the metal block 24 and the tip 34 (or the filter 33 mounted on the tip 34). For example, the overall height (predetermined height) of the packing 81 is about 2 mm, and the packing 81 is sandwiched from above and below between the metal block 24 and the tip 34 with about 1 mm of that covering the hard tube 23a.

[0121] This allows the microorganism treatment device 1 to ensure close contact between the packing 81 and the metal block 24, and close contact between the packing 81 and the tip 34 (or the filter 33 mounted on the tip 34).

[0122] As described above, the tight adhesion between the liquid holding flow path 23, the metal block 24, and the chip 34 (or the filter 33 mounted on the chip 34) can be ensured by the packing 81. Therefore, the risk of the sample liquid 41, the staining liquid 42, or the cleaning liquid 43 seeping into the gap between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the metal block 24 can be reduced.

[0123] The packing 81 can be produced by cutting out a piece of the required height (predetermined height) from, for example, a silicon tube.

[0124] (Variation) Although the present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is easily understood that various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, each embodiment, including the modifications described below, may be modified by adding or replacing a part or parts of the configuration of another embodiment with the other embodiment. Furthermore, the numerical values ​​given in each embodiment are merely examples, and other numerical values ​​may naturally be adopted.

[0125] In the first and fourth embodiments, the controller 35 executes the process of S12 by continuing to drive the specimen liquid feed pump 15 and the suction pump 29 and newly driving the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19. In the third embodiment, the controller 35 executes the process of S12 by keeping the specimen liquid valve 71 open and continuing to drive the liquid feed pump 73 and the suction pump 29, and newly driving the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19. That is, in the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the controller 35 executes the process of S12 by continuing to drive the specimen liquid feed pump 73 and the suction pump 29 and newly driving the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19. In other words, in the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the controller 35 executes the process of S12 by continuing to drive the specimen liquid feed pump 73 and the suction pump 29 and newly driving the first cleaning liquid feed pump 19. In contrast, in the process of S12, the controller 35 may temporarily store all of the cleaning liquid 43 delivered from the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 in the specimen liquid supply tank 11. Thereafter, controller 35 may control the flow of cleaning liquid 43 stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11 to liquid holding flow path 23 and then to be sucked into suction flow path 28. Specifically, for example, controller 35 may newly drive first cleaning liquid supply pump 19 while specimen liquid supply pump 15 and suction pump 29 are stopped, or while specimen liquid valve 71 is closed and the drive of liquid supply pump 73 and suction pump 29 is stopped. Controller 35 may then drive specimen liquid supply pump 15 and suction pump 29 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of drive of first cleaning liquid supply pump 19, or may drive liquid supply pump 73 and suction pump 29 while specimen liquid valve 71 is open. This predetermined time is the time required for all of cleaning liquid 43 stored in first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 to be supplied to specimen liquid supply tank 11 and for that cleaning liquid 43 to be stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11. This allows cleaning liquid 43 to be stored in specimen liquid supply tank 11 for a predetermined time, thereby improving the cleaning effect of specimen liquid supply tank 11. In this case, it is also preferable that the amount of cleaning liquid 43 previously injected into first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 is equal to or greater than the amount of specimen liquid 41 previously injected into specimen liquid supply tank 11. This allows a larger amount of cleaning liquid 43 to be sent to specimen liquid supply tank 11 to be stored therein for a predetermined time than specimen liquid 41, thereby more reliably cleaning specimen liquid supply tank 11.In this modified example, the transfer of cleaning liquid 43 from the first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 to the specimen liquid supply tank 11 is preferably performed at least after the specimen liquid transfer pump 15 has transferred the specimen liquid 41 from the specimen liquid supply tank 11 to the liquid holding flow path 23.

[0126] In the first and fourth embodiments, the controller 35 executes the process of S16 by continuing to drive the staining liquid supply pump 17 and the suction pump 29 while newly driving the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21. In the third embodiment, the controller 35 executes the process of S16 by keeping the staining liquid valve 72 open and continuing to drive the liquid supply pump 73 and the suction pump 29 while newly driving the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21. That is, in the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the controller 35 executes the process of S16 by continuing to drive the liquid supply pump 73 and the suction pump 29 while keeping the staining liquid valve 72 open. That is, in the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the controller 35 executes the process of S16 by continuing to drive the liquid holding flow path 23 via the staining liquid supply tank 12 and then suctioning the liquid into the suction flow path 28. In contrast, in the process of S16, the controller 35 may temporarily store all of the cleaning liquid 43 delivered from the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 in the staining liquid supply tank 12. Thereafter, the control unit 35 may control the supply of the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the staining liquid supply tank 12 to the liquid holding flow path 23 and the suction of the cleaning liquid 43 into the suction flow path 28. Specifically, for example, the control unit 35 may drive the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21 again while the operation of the staining liquid supply pump 17 and the suction pump 29 is stopped, or while the operation of the liquid supply pump 73 and the suction pump 29 is stopped with the staining liquid valve 72 in a closed state. Then, the control unit 35 may drive the staining liquid supply pump 17 and the suction pump 29 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the operation of the second cleaning liquid supply pump 21, or may drive the liquid supply pump 73 and the suction pump 29 with the staining liquid valve 72 in an open state. This predetermined time is the time required for all of the cleaning liquid 43 stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 to be supplied to the staining liquid supply tank 12 and for the cleaning liquid 43 to be stored in the staining liquid supply tank 12. This allows the cleaning liquid 43 to be stored in the dyeing liquid supply tank 12 for a predetermined time, thereby improving the cleaning effect of the dyeing liquid supply tank 12. In this case, it is also preferable that the amount of cleaning liquid 43 previously injected into the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 is equal to or greater than the amount of dyeing liquid 42 previously injected into the dyeing liquid supply tank 12. This allows the amount of cleaning liquid 43 sent to the dyeing liquid supply tank 12 to be stored therein for a predetermined time in a larger amount than the dyeing liquid 42, thereby making it possible to more reliably clean the dyeing liquid supply tank 12.In this modified example, the transfer of the cleaning liquid 43 from the second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 to the dyeing liquid supply tank 12 is preferably performed at least after the dyeing liquid transfer pump 17 has transferred the dyeing liquid 42 from the dyeing liquid supply tank 12 to the liquid holding flow path 23.

[0127] In each of the above embodiments, the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 includes cleaning liquid supply tanks for storing cleaning liquid 43, namely, a first cleaning liquid supply tank 13 for storing cleaning liquid 43 corresponding to the specimen liquid 41 and a second cleaning liquid supply tank 14 for storing cleaning liquid 43 corresponding to the staining liquid 42. Alternatively, the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 may store cleaning liquid 43 corresponding to both the specimen liquid 41 and the staining liquid 42 in a single cleaning liquid supply tank. In this case, the cleaning liquid supply tank may be connected to the specimen liquid supply tank 11 via a first cleaning liquid supply tube 20 having a first cleaning liquid supply pump 19 therein, and may be connected to the staining liquid supply tank 12 via a second cleaning liquid supply tube 22 having a second cleaning liquid supply pump 21 therein. In this way, the microorganism treatment apparatus 1 can send cleaning liquid 43 from the cleaning liquid supply tank to the specimen liquid supply tank 11 by driving the first cleaning liquid supply pump 19. Furthermore, the microbial treatment apparatus 1 can send the cleaning liquid 43 from the cleaning liquid supply tank to the staining liquid supply tank 12 by driving the second cleaning liquid delivery pump 21. Furthermore, by operating in the same manner as in the first, third, or fourth embodiment, the microbial treatment apparatus 1 can wash and remove residual liquid from the flow paths up to the liquid holding flow paths 23 for the specimen liquid 41 and the staining liquid 42, including the specimen liquid supply tank 11 and the staining liquid supply tank 12. Therefore, the microbial treatment apparatus 1 can prevent the generation of contaminants when performing continuous microorganism measurements. The cleaning liquid supply tank may be connected to the liquid holding flow path 23 via a cleaning liquid delivery tube equipped with a cleaning liquid delivery pump midway. In this case, the microbial treatment apparatus 1 drives the cleaning liquid delivery pump after the suction pump 29 has aspirated the specimen liquid 41 and after the suction pump 29 has aspirated the staining liquid 42, thereby sending the cleaning liquid 43 from the cleaning liquid delivery tank to the liquid holding flow path 23. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device 1 can automate the process of removing components of the specimen liquid 41 other than microorganisms from the filter 33, and even the process of cleaning the filter 33 to dilute the staining solution 42 adhering to the filter 33. This makes it possible to more reliably stabilize the subsequent measurement of microorganisms. The cleaning liquid supply tube may be made of, for example, a silicone tube. The cleaning liquid supply pump may be a tube pump.

[0128] In the above-described embodiments, the chip 34 used in the microorganism detection device 50 is used. However, a chip prepared for the microorganism processing device 1 or a chip pre-installed in the microorganism processing device 1 may also be used. In this case, when measuring microorganisms, it may be necessary to replace the filter 33 with a detection chip in the microorganism detection device 50. However, the microorganism processing device 1 can automatically filter the sample liquid 41 containing microorganisms with the filter 33 and stain the microorganisms on the filter 33. Therefore, the microorganism processing device 1 can reduce the labor required for filtering the liquid containing microorganisms and staining the microorganisms, and can stabilize the subsequent measurement of microorganisms. The chip 34 prepared for the microorganism processing device 1 may be attachable to the microorganism processing device 1, or the chip 34 removed from the microorganism processing device 1 may be attached directly to the microorganism detection device 50 so that microorganisms can be measured.

[0129] (Summary of the Disclosure) A microorganism treatment device (1) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a liquid holding flow path (23), a liquid delivery pump (15, 17, 19, 21, 73), a suction pump (29), and a control unit (35). The liquid holding flow path (23) is a flow path for holding a specimen liquid (41) containing microorganisms on a filter (33). The filter (33) is a filter for filtering the specimen liquid (41). The liquid delivery pumps (15, 17, 19, 21, 73) are connected to the liquid holding flow path (23). The suction pump (29) is connected to the liquid holding flow path (23). The control unit (35) controls the operation of the liquid delivery pumps (15, 17, 73) and the suction pump (29) as follows: The liquid delivery pump (15, 73) delivers the specimen liquid (41) to the liquid holding flow path (23) with the filter (33) installed inside the liquid holding flow path (23). The suction pump (29) sucks the specimen liquid (41) inside the liquid holding flow path (23) and filters the microorganisms contained in the specimen liquid (41) onto the filter (33). The liquid delivery pump (17, 73) delivers a staining liquid (42) that stains the microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path (23). The suction pump (29) sucks the staining liquid (42) inside the liquid holding flow path (23).

[0130] As a result, the microorganism treatment device (1) sends the specimen liquid (41) containing microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path (23) using the liquid feed pump (15, 73) and then aspirates the liquid using the suction pump (29), thereby filtering the specimen liquid (41) and leaving the microorganisms on the filter (33). The microorganism treatment device (1) further sends the staining solution (42) to the liquid holding flow path (23) using the liquid feed pump (17, 73) to stain the microorganisms on the filter (33), and then aspirates the staining solution (42) using the suction pump (29), thereby filtering the staining solution (42). As a result, the stained microorganisms remain on the filter (33). Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) can automatically filter the liquid containing microorganisms and stain the microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) can reduce the labor required for filtering the liquid containing microorganisms and staining the microorganisms, and can stabilize the subsequent microorganism measurement.

[0131] Here, microorganisms refer to bacteria and fungi (yeast and mold). The sample liquid (41) is a general liquid, and examples of liquids in which the presence of microorganisms is to be measured include liquid food, drinking water, tap water, environmental water, and collection liquids in which suspended bacteria are trapped.

[0132] The microorganism treatment device (1) may be capable of installing a chip (34) for placing a filter (33) on the liquid holding flow path (23). The chip (34) may have a through-hole (34a), and the suction pump (29) may suck the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining solution (42) present in the liquid holding flow path (23) through the through-hole (34a).

[0133] As a result, the microorganism treatment device (1) places the filter (33) on a chip (34) that can be used for the next step of microorganism measurement, and then installs the chip (34) in the liquid holding channel (23). The microorganism treatment device (1) filters the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining solution (42) through the through-holes (34a) of the installed chip (34). Therefore, after filtering the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining solution (42), the user of the microorganism treatment device (1) does not need to replace the filter (33) with a chip (34) for microorganism measurement, but can simply remove the chip (34) with the filter (33) and use it directly for microorganism measurement. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) reduces the labor required for replacing the filter (33), suppresses variations in measurement results, and stabilizes subsequent microorganism measurements.

[0134] The microorganism treatment device (1) may include a metal block (24) with a heater (25) attached to the outer periphery of the liquid holding channel (23).

[0135] As a result, in the microorganism treatment device (1), when the staining solution (42) is sent to the liquid holding flow path (23) to stain the microorganisms, the metal block (24) equipped with the heater (25) heats the staining solution (42) and the microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) can bring the staining solution (42) and the microorganisms into contact with each other in the heated state inside the liquid holding flow path (23), thereby improving the efficiency of staining the microorganisms. Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) can more reliably stabilize the measurement of microorganisms in the next step. Furthermore, in the microorganism treatment device (1), the wall of the liquid holding flow path (23) is interposed between the metal block (24) and the liquids (41, 42, 43) held in the liquid holding flow path (23), thereby preventing the liquids (41, 42, 43) from contacting the metal block (24). Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) can prevent corrosion caused by contact between the metal block (24) and the liquids (41, 42, 43) from occurring and preventing the corroded material from being filtered onto the filter (33) as contaminants.

[0136] The liquid holding flow path (23) may be formed of a hard tube (23a), and the microorganism treatment device (1) may include a flexible packing (81) having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the tube (23a). The packing (81) may be attached so that a portion in the height direction covers the tube (23a) and the remaining portion extends outside the tube (23a), and is sandwiched between the metal block (24) and the filter (33) and / or the chip (34) for mounting the filter (33).

[0137] This allows the packing 81 to ensure close contact between the liquid holding flow path 23, the metal block 24, and the filter 33 and / or the chip 34. This reduces the risk of the sample liquid 41, staining solution 42, or cleaning solution 43 seeping into the gap between the liquid holding flow path 23 and the metal block 24.

[0138] The microorganism treatment device (1) may include a branch path (31) connected to a solenoid valve (32) between the liquid holding flow path (23) and the suction pump (29), and the control unit (35) may further control the operation of the solenoid valve (32). The solenoid valve (32) may then release residual pressure between the liquid holding flow path (23) and the suction pump (29) via the branch path (31) under the control of the control unit (35).

[0139] In the microorganism treatment device (1), when the suction pump (29) aspirates the specimen liquid (41) in the liquid holding flow path (23), a negative pressure is generated between the liquid holding flow path (23) and the suction pump (29). Even if the staining liquid (42) is sent to the liquid holding flow path (23) under these conditions, there is a risk that the staining liquid (42) will be sucked directly into the suction pump (29) due to residual pressure between the liquid holding flow path (23) and the suction pump (29). In response to this, the microorganism treatment device (1) opens the solenoid valve (32) before the staining liquid (42) is sent to the liquid holding flow path (23), thereby releasing the residual pressure between the liquid holding flow path (23) and the suction pump (29) via the branch path (31). This prevents the staining liquid (42) from being sucked into the suction pump (29) due to the residual pressure, thereby preventing the staining liquid (42) from being filtered before it comes into sufficient contact with microorganisms.

[0140] The liquid delivery pumps (15, 17, 19, 21, 73) may include a specimen liquid delivery pump (15) and a staining liquid delivery pump (17). Under the control of the control unit (35), the specimen liquid delivery pump (15) may deliver the specimen liquid (41) to the liquid holding flow path (23) with a filter (33) provided inside the liquid holding flow path (23), and the suction pump (29) may aspirate the specimen liquid (41) inside the liquid holding flow path (23). The staining liquid delivery pump (17) may deliver a staining liquid (42) that stains microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path (23), and the suction pump (29) may aspirate the staining liquid (42) inside the liquid holding flow path (23).

[0141] This allows the microorganism treatment device (1) to send the specimen liquid (41) and the staining liquid (42) by completely separating the flow path of the specimen liquid (41) to the liquid holding flow path (23) from the flow path of the staining liquid (42) to the liquid holding flow path (23). Thus, the microorganism treatment device (1) can prevent the staining liquid (42) from coming into contact with water contained in the specimen liquid (41) before being sent to the liquid holding flow path (23) to form a precipitate, which can be filtered onto the filter (33) as a contaminant.

[0142] The control unit (35) may control the operation of the liquid delivery pumps (15, 17, 19, 21, 73) and the suction pump (29) so that the suction pump (29) cleans the inside of the liquid holding flow path (23) after suctioning the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining liquid (42).

[0143] As a result, the cleaning liquid (43) flows through the liquid holding flow path (23) after the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining liquid (42) have been aspirated, so that the microorganism treatment device (1) can dilute the adhesion of specimen liquid (41) components other than microorganisms to the filter (33) and dilute the adhesion of staining liquid (42) components to the filter (33). Thus, the microorganism treatment device (1) can suppress the adhesion of specimen liquid (41) components and / or staining liquid (42) components other than microorganisms to the filter (33), thereby reducing factors that cause noise in the measurement of microorganisms.

[0144] The microorganism treatment device (1) may include a cleaning liquid supply tank (13, 14) that stores a cleaning liquid (43). Then, under the control of the control unit (35), the liquid delivery pumps (15, 17, 19, 21, 73) may deliver the cleaning liquid (43) toward the liquid holding flow path (23) after the suction pump (29) has aspirated the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining liquid (42) in the liquid holding flow path (23), and the suction pump (29) may aspirate the cleaning liquid (43) in the liquid holding flow path (23).

[0145] Thus, by storing the cleaning liquid (43) in the cleaning liquid supply tanks (13, 14) in advance, the microbial treatment device (1) automatically sends the cleaning liquid (43) toward the liquid holding flow path (23) and also aspirates the cleaning liquid (43) from the liquid holding flow path (23) after the suction pump (29) aspirates the specimen liquid (41) and / or staining liquid (42) in the liquid holding flow path (23). Thus, the microbial treatment device (1) can automate not only the filtration of the liquid containing microorganisms and the staining of the microorganisms, but also cleaning to dilute the adhesion of specimen liquid (41) components other than microorganisms to the filter (33) and the adhesion of staining liquid (42) components to the filter (33). This allows for more reliable stability in subsequent microbial measurements.

[0146] The washing liquid supply tanks (13, 14) may include a first washing liquid supply tank (13) and a second washing liquid supply tank (14). Under the control of the control unit (35), the liquid delivery pump (15, 19, 73) may deliver the washing liquid (43) from the first washing liquid supply tank (13) to the liquid holding flow path (23) after the suction pump (29) has aspirated the sample liquid (41) inside the liquid holding flow path (23), and the suction pump (29) may aspirate the washing liquid (43) from the first washing liquid supply tank (13) into the liquid holding flow path (23). Furthermore, the liquid feed pump (17, 21, 73) may feed the cleaning liquid (43) from the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) toward the liquid holding flow path (23) after the suction pump (29) has sucked the staining liquid (42) from inside the liquid holding flow path (23), and the suction pump (29) may suck the cleaning liquid (43) from the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) into the liquid holding flow path (23).

[0147] In this microorganism treatment device (1), a required amount of cleaning liquid (43) for the specimen liquid (41) is stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) in advance, and a required amount of cleaning liquid (43) for the staining liquid (42) is stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14). After the suction pump (29) has aspirated the specimen liquid (41) from the liquid holding flow path (23), the microorganism treatment device (1) sends all of the cleaning liquid (43) from the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) toward the liquid holding flow path (23) and aspirates the cleaning liquid (43) from the liquid holding flow path (23). After the suction pump (29) has aspirated the staining liquid (42) from the liquid holding flow path (23), the microorganism treatment device (1) sends all of the cleaning liquid (43) from the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) toward the liquid holding flow path (23) and aspirates the cleaning liquid (43) from the liquid holding flow path (23). This allows the microorganism treatment device (1) to automatically and appropriately perform cleaning to dilute components of the specimen liquid (41) other than microorganisms adhering to the filter (33) and cleaning to dilute components of the staining liquid (42) adhering to the filter (33). The cleaning liquid (43) stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) and the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) may be the same. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) may be a cleaning liquid (43) suitable for cleaning the specimen liquid (41), and the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) may be a cleaning liquid (43) suitable for cleaning the staining liquid (42).

[0148] The microorganism treatment device (1) may include a specimen liquid supply tank (11), a staining liquid supply tank (12), a first cleaning liquid supply tank (13), a second cleaning liquid supply tank (14), a first cleaning liquid delivery pump (19), and a second cleaning liquid delivery pump (21). The specimen liquid supply tank (11) stores the specimen liquid (41) until it is delivered by the delivery pumps (15, 73). The staining liquid supply tank (12) stores the staining liquid (42) until it is delivered by the delivery pumps (17, 73). The first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) stores the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the flow path of the specimen liquid (41). The second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) stores the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the flow path of the staining liquid (42). The first cleaning liquid feed pump (19) feeds the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the flow path of the specimen liquid (41) to the specimen liquid supply tank (11). The second cleaning liquid feed pump (21) feeds the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the flow path of the staining liquid (42) to the staining liquid supply tank (12). The control unit (35) may further control the operations of the first cleaning liquid feed pump (19) and the second cleaning liquid feed pump (21) as follows: That is, the first cleaning liquid feed pump (19) feeds the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the flow path of the specimen liquid (41) from the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) to the specimen liquid supply tank (11) after at least the liquid feed pumps (15, 73) have fed the specimen liquid (41) from the specimen liquid supply tank (11) to the liquid holding flow path (23). The liquid feed pump (15, 73) feeds a cleaning liquid (43) from the sample liquid supply tank (11) to the liquid holding flow path (23) for cleaning the flow path of the sample liquid (41) after the suction pump (29) has sucked the sample liquid (41) in the liquid holding flow path (23). The suction pump (29) sucks the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the flow path of the sample liquid (41) in the liquid holding flow path (23). The second cleaning liquid feed pump (21) feeds the cleaning liquid (43) from the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) to the staining liquid supply tank (12) for cleaning the flow path of the staining liquid (42) after at least the liquid feed pump (17, 73) has sent the staining liquid (42) from the staining liquid supply tank (12) to the liquid holding flow path (23).The liquid feed pump (17, 73) feeds a cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the passage of the staining liquid (42) from the staining liquid supply tank (12) to the liquid holding passage (23) after the suction pump (29) has sucked the staining liquid (42) from the liquid holding passage (23). The suction pump (29) sucks the cleaning liquid (43) for cleaning the passage of the staining liquid (42) from the liquid holding passage (23).

[0149] Thus, the microorganism treatment device (1) sends, via the first cleaning liquid feed pump (19) and the feed pumps (15, 73), the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) in an amount necessary for washing the specimen liquid (41) to the flow path of the specimen liquid (41) from the specimen liquid supply tank (11) to the liquid holding flow path (23). The microorganism treatment device (1) also sends, via the second cleaning liquid feed pump (21) and the feed pumps (17, 73), the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) in an amount necessary for washing the staining liquid (42) to the flow path of the staining liquid (42) from the staining liquid supply tank (12) to the liquid holding flow path (23). Therefore, the microorganism treatment device (1) can wash and remove residual liquid from the flow paths up to the liquid holding flow paths (23) for the sample liquid (41) and the staining liquid (42), including the sample liquid supply tank (11) and the staining liquid supply tank (12), thereby suppressing the generation of contaminants when performing continuous microorganism measurements. Note that, even in this case, the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) and the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) may be the same. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the first cleaning liquid supply tank (13) may be a cleaning liquid (43) suitable for washing the sample liquid (41), and the cleaning liquid (43) stored in the second cleaning liquid supply tank (14) may be a cleaning liquid (43) suitable for washing the staining liquid (42), so that different cleaning liquids may be used.

[0150] Any combination of the above components and conversion of the expression of the present disclosure between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0151] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY A microorganism treatment device according to the present disclosure is useful as a device that automatically filters a liquid and stains microorganisms as pretreatment for measuring microorganisms contained in the liquid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0152] 1 Microbial treatment equipment 11. Sample liquid supply tank 12 Dyeing liquid supply tank 13 First cleaning solution supply tank 14 Second cleaning solution supply tank 15. Sample liquid delivery pump 16. Sample liquid delivery tube 17 Dyeing solution pump 18 Staining solution delivery tube 19 First cleaning solution pump 20 First cleaning solution delivery tube 21 Second cleaning solution pump 22 Second cleaning solution delivery tube 23 Liquid holding channel 23a hard tube 24 Metal Block 25 Heater 26 O-ring 27 O-ring 28 Suction channel 29 Suction Pump 30 Waste liquid tank 31 Branching Paths 32 Solenoid valve 33 Filters 34 chips 34a through hole 35 Control Unit 41 Sample liquid 42 Dyeing solution 43 Cleaning fluid 50 Microbial detection device 51 Image sensor 61 First cleaning solution delivery tube 62 Second cleaning solution delivery tube 71 Sample liquid valve 72 Dyeing liquid valve 73 Liquid transfer pump 74 Sample liquid delivery tube 75 Staining solution delivery tube 76 Liquid transfer tube 81 Gasket

Claims

1. A microorganism treatment device comprising a liquid holding flow path, a liquid feed pump, a suction pump, and a control unit, the liquid holding flow path is a flow path for holding a specimen liquid containing microorganisms on a filter, the filter is a filter for filtering the sample liquid, the liquid feed pump is connected to the liquid holding flow path; the suction pump is connected to the liquid holding flow path, the control unit controls the operation of the liquid feed pump and the suction pump, By the control of the control unit, the liquid transfer pump transfers the sample liquid to the liquid holding flow path with the filter provided inside the liquid holding flow path; the suction pump sucks the specimen liquid inside the liquid holding channel and filters the microorganisms contained in the specimen liquid onto the filter; the liquid supply pump supplies a staining solution for staining the microorganisms to the liquid holding flow path; The suction pump sucks the staining solution inside the liquid holding flow path, in a microorganism treatment apparatus.

2. a chip for mounting the filter can be installed in the liquid holding channel; The tip has a through hole, 2. The microorganism treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction pump sucks the specimen liquid and / or the staining liquid in the liquid holding flow path through the through-hole.

3. 2. The microorganism treatment device according to claim 1, further comprising a metal block with a heater attached to the outer periphery of the liquid holding flow path.

4. the liquid holding flow path is formed of a hard tube, The microorganism treatment device includes a flexible packing having an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the tube, The microorganism treatment device described in claim 3, characterized in that the gasket is attached so that a portion of it in the height direction covers the tube and the remaining portion extends outside the tube, and is sandwiched between the metal block and the filter and / or a chip for mounting the filter.

5. a branch path connected to an electromagnetic valve is provided between the liquid holding flow path and the suction pump; The control unit further controls the operation of the solenoid valve, By the control of the control unit, 2. The microorganism treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic valve releases residual pressure between the liquid holding flow path and the suction pump via the branch path.

6. the liquid supply pump includes a specimen liquid supply pump and a staining liquid supply pump; By the control of the control unit, the sample liquid delivery pump delivers the sample liquid to the liquid holding flow path with the filter provided inside the liquid holding flow path; the suction pump aspirates the sample liquid inside the liquid holding channel; the staining solution delivery pump delivers a staining solution for staining the microorganisms to the solution holding flow path; 2. The microorganism treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction pump sucks the staining liquid from inside the liquid holding flow path.

7. The microorganism treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the operation of the liquid delivery pump and the suction pump so that the inside of the liquid holding flow path is cleaned after the suction pump has suctioned the specimen liquid and / or the staining liquid.

8. Equipped with a cleaning solution supply tank that stores cleaning solution, By the control of the control unit, the liquid supply pump supplies the cleaning liquid toward the liquid holding flow path after the suction pump has sucked the specimen liquid and / or the staining liquid in the liquid holding flow path; 2. The microorganism treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction pump sucks the cleaning liquid from the liquid holding flow path.

9. the cleaning liquid supply tank includes a first cleaning liquid supply tank and a second cleaning liquid supply tank; By the control of the control unit, the liquid feed pump feeds the cleaning liquid from the first cleaning liquid supply tank toward the liquid holding flow path after the suction pump has sucked the sample liquid inside the liquid holding flow path; the suction pump sucks the cleaning liquid from the first cleaning liquid supply tank in the liquid holding flow path; the liquid supply pump supplies the cleaning liquid from the second cleaning liquid supply tank toward the liquid holding flow path after the suction pump has sucked the staining liquid inside the liquid holding flow path, 9. The microorganism treatment apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the suction pump sucks the cleaning liquid from the second cleaning liquid supply tank in the liquid holding flow path.

10. a sample liquid supply tank for storing the sample liquid until it is sent out by the liquid sending pump; a dyeing solution supply tank for storing the dyeing solution until it is sent out by the solution sending pump; a first cleaning liquid supply tank for storing a cleaning liquid for cleaning the sample liquid flow path; a second cleaning liquid supply tank for storing a cleaning liquid for cleaning the staining liquid flow path; a first cleaning liquid delivery pump for delivering a cleaning liquid to the sample liquid supply tank for cleaning the sample liquid flow path; a second cleaning liquid supply pump for supplying a cleaning liquid for cleaning the flow path of the staining liquid to the staining liquid supply tank, the control unit further controls operations of the first cleaning liquid supply pump and the second cleaning liquid supply pump; By the control of the control unit, the first cleaning liquid feed pump feeds a cleaning liquid from the first cleaning liquid supply tank to the specimen liquid supply tank for cleaning the specimen liquid flow path at least after the liquid feed pump has fed the specimen liquid from the specimen liquid supply tank to the liquid holding flow path; the liquid feed pump feeds a cleaning liquid from the sample liquid supply tank to the liquid holding flow path after the suction pump has sucked the sample liquid in the liquid holding flow path, for cleaning the flow path of the sample liquid; the suction pump sucks a cleaning liquid for cleaning the sample liquid flow path in the liquid holding flow path; the second cleaning liquid supply pump supplies a cleaning liquid for cleaning the staining liquid flow path from the second cleaning liquid supply tank to the staining liquid supply tank at least after the liquid supply pump has sent the staining liquid from the staining liquid supply tank to the liquid holding flow path, the liquid supply pump supplies a cleaning liquid for cleaning the staining liquid flow path from the staining liquid supply tank to the liquid holding flow path after the suction pump has sucked the staining liquid in the liquid holding flow path, 2. The microorganism treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction pump sucks a cleaning liquid for cleaning the staining liquid flow path in the liquid holding flow path.

Images