PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a population counting device capable of highly accurately counting a population of organisms even for such a microscopic individual organism as a prawn larva, reducing a risk of debilitating or annihilating the organisms, and being miniaturized due to a simple structure.SOLUTION: A population counting device has inclined channels 10A and 10B which are inclined in predetermined directions so that an individual organism to be counted flows with liquid. Aggregation of the organisms to be counted is poured in the population counting device. The poured organisms are dispersed while being transported in the inclined channels 10A and 10B. In a counting section 18B provided in a middle of the inclined channel 10B, the dispersed organisms are counted in a manner that photographs the same by a camera 40 and analyzes a photographed image by an image analysis section 50. An illumination mechanism 30 is arranged on a rear surface side of the counting section 18B through a diffuser panel so that the illumination mechanism 30 orthogonally irradiates the counting section 18B with white diffusion light for enabling the counting section 18B to photograph the image.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】 海老の幼生のような微細な個体についても、高精度に個数を計測でき、なお且つ衰弱、死滅の危険が少なく、しかも構造が簡単で小型化が可能な個体計数装置を提供する。【解決手段】 所定方向に傾斜し計数すべき固体が液体と共に流動する傾斜流路10A,10Bを備える。ここに、計数すべき個体の集合体を投入する。投入された個体は、傾斜流路10A,10Bを搬送される間に分散し、傾斜流路10Bの途中に設けられた計測部18Bにおいて、カメラ40による撮影、画像解析部50による撮影画像の解析により計数される。計測部18Bでの画像撮影のために、計測部18Bの裏面側に拡散板を介して照明機構30を配置して、計測部19Bに白色拡散光を直角照射する。【選択図】 図1
