Cell culture apparatus, imaging unit, and culture monitoring method

A cell culture apparatus comprising:

• a flow passage in which cell suspension containing at least one of cells or cell masses as granular bodies is to flow;
• and
• an imaging unit that is provided in a middle of the flow passage and continuously images the plurality of granular bodies contained in the cell suspension to acquire a plurality of images while the cell suspension flows in the flow passage,
• wherein the imaging unit includes a flow cell through which the cell suspension is to pass, and an imaging part that includes a plurality of imaging elements of which imaging fields of view are set to the flow cell,
• wherein the flow cell includes an inlet into which the cell suspension is to flow, an outlet out of which the cell suspension flowing in from the inlet is to flow, and a flat flow passage that is provided between the inlet and the outlet and is formed of a member of which a thickness in an optical axis direction of the imaging part is smaller than thicknesses of the inlet and the outlet in the optical axis direction and which has light transmittance, and
• the imaging fields of view are set to the flat flow passage.