Microchip Inspection System and Microchip Inspection System Program

Abstract

An objective is to provide a microchip inspection system in which an amount of driving liquid filled in a flow path between a micropump and a microchip is kept constant. Also disclosed is a microchip inspection system possessing a micropump by which driving liquid is injected into a microchip from a flow path; a driving liquid sensing device by which a sensing signal is output by sensing presence or absence of the driving liquid at a predetermined position of the flow path; and a pump driving control section by which the driving liquid is moved to a position based on the predetermined position as a reference position by driving the micropump in response to the sensing signal obtained from the driving liquid sensing device.

1 . A microchip inspection system comprising
 (a) a micropump by which driving liquid is injected into a microchip from a flow path;   (b) a driving liquid sensing device by which a sensing signal is output by sensing presence or absence of the driving liquid at a predetermined position of the flow path; and   (c) a pump driving control section by which the driving liquid is moved to a position based on the predetermined position as a reference position by driving the micropump in response to the sensing signal obtained from the driving liquid sensing device.   
     
     
         2 . The microchip inspection system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the driving liquid sensing device comprises a light emission section by which light is emitted toward the flow path from a direction perpendicular to the flow path; a reception section by which light from the light emission section that passes through the flow path is received to generate a signal corresponding to the light quantity; and a sensing section by which a sensing signal is output by comparing a signal of the reception section with a predetermined value.   
     
     
         3 . The microchip inspection system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the driving liquid sensing device further comprises two electrodes placed in the flow path, and a sensing section by which a sensing signal is output by comparing an electrical signal running between the two electrodes with a predetermined value.   
     
     
         4 . A microchip inspection system program commanded by a computer, comprising
 (a) a driving liquid sensing step to output a sensing signal by sensing presence or absence of the driving liquid with a driving liquid sensing device placed at a predetermined position of a flow path to a microchip before a step to inject the driving liquid with a micropump; and   (b) a liquid-feeding step to move the driving liquid to a position based on the predetermined position as a reference position by driving the micropump in response to the sensing signal output in the driving liquid sensing step.