JP2016049497A - Centrifuge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify a situation in advance that operation cannot be performed by the reduction of vacuum performance due to the shortage of an oil in an oil diffusion pump in a centrifuge.SOLUTION: In a centrifuge reducing pressure in a rotor chamber by an oil diffusion pump, the storage amount of an oil is calculated by estimating the consumption of an oil per each operation corresponding to the operational state of the oil diffusion pump without disposing a liquid flow meter at the oil diffusion pump. The oil temperature of the oil diffusion pump is included in the information of an operational state. Each oil consumption varied by the startup of the oil diffusion pump and the oil temperature at air leakage is calculated. A user can easily notify whether the replenishment of the oil is necessary or not and replacement timing since the residual quantity of the oil is displayed by a meter-type icon 180 on a display.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a centrifuge (centrifuge) having an oil diffusion pump, and provides a centrifuge that estimates the amount of oil stored in the oil diffusion pump and appropriately notifies the oil replenishment and replacement timing.

The centrifuge holds a sample contained in a tube or the like in a rotor and rotates the sample held in the rotor by rotating the sample at a high speed with a drive source such as an electric motor. When this rotor is rotated at a high speed, the temperature rises due to windage loss. Therefore, the rotor chamber, which is the space for rotating the rotor, is sealed from the atmosphere, and the interior is decompressed and maintained at a high degree of vacuum. The rotor is rotated at high speed. A so-called ultracentrifuge with a rotor speed exceeding 40,000 min ^-1 increases the temperature of the rotor and the sample due to frictional heat caused by windage loss between the air in the rotor chamber and the rotor due to the rotation of the rotor. In order to suppress this, a vacuum pump device for reducing the pressure in the rotor chamber to a high vacuum state is provided, and by providing a vacuum degree detecting means comprising a sensor for detecting the pressure in the rotor chamber and a sensor detection circuit, the rotor chamber is brought into a predetermined reduced pressure state. I try to keep it. Under this reduced pressure state, the sample is centrifuged by rotating the rotor at high speed with a drive means (drive source) using an electric motor.

When a rotor is rotated at several tens of thousands of revolutions per minute, a huge cooling device is required to suppress the temperature rise due to windage in the rotor and the rotor chamber (rotating chamber) by cooling alone. The vacuum loss is reduced by reducing the pressure in the rotor chamber from the atmospheric pressure with a vacuum pump device. The vacuum pump device has a configuration in which an auxiliary vacuum pump that depressurizes from the atmosphere to a vacuum of about 10 Pascals and an oil diffusion pump that enables depressurization from a vacuum of about 10 Pascals to a vacuum of about 10 ⁻³ Pascals in series. Often to do. The oil diffusion pump that is widely used here is a boiler that stores oil, a heater that heats the boiler, and oil molecules that are heated and evaporated by the boiler, and vigorously injects the center part upward from the surrounding part downward. A jet part and a cooling part for cooling and liquefying the oil vapor when high-speed oil molecules injected from the jet part hit the inner wall surface are returned to the boiler part are configured.

  In the centrifuge of Patent Document 1, the rotor chamber is depressurized using a vacuum pump device before or after the start of operation after the rotor and the sample are taken in and out. Increasing the rotational speed with a low degree of vacuum increases windage loss, and the rotor and sample cannot be maintained at a constant temperature exceeding the cooling capacity of the cooling device, so that the degree of vacuum reaches about 10 Pascals. Keeps the rotor below a few thousand revolutions per minute and accelerates the rotor to a high speed after the vacuum is increased. The rotor was rotated at a high speed of about several tens of thousands of revolutions while maintaining a vacuum level of 1 Pascal or less. In the centrifuge of Patent Literature 1, the heater temperature for evaporating and vaporizing the oil in the oil diffusion pump is measured and controlled by a temperature sensor. Further, in Patent Document 2, the control temperature is changed to shorten the pressure reduction time of the rotor chamber and reduce the amount of oil consumed by the oil diffusion pump.

JP 2001-104826 A JP 2011-25176 A JP 2013-146667 A

  Oil diffusion pumps used mainly in vacuum deposition equipment, etc., oil flows back into the vacuum chamber until the oil is heated by the boiler to become steam and is jetted by the jet section and liquefied by the cooling section. Or the oil is gradually consumed by being sucked into the auxiliary pump. In order to prevent such oil consumption, a method of providing a cooling mechanism such as a cold trap, a baffle, a pipe through which cooling water passes, or a shut-off mechanism with a valve is generally provided at the suction port and the exhaust port. However, if the above structure is adopted, the device tends to be expensive. Especially in the centrifuge, even if oil vapor flows back into the rotor chamber, there is no problem as much as the vacuum vapor deposition device, so the above structure is not adopted, and therefore the oil consumption of the oil diffusion pump increases. End up. When the oil amount of the oil diffusion pump is reduced, the required degree of vacuum is not reached and the temperature of the rotor and the sample cannot be kept constant. Oil diffusion pumps can be used without oil replenishment for about 10 years in the case of centrifuges that are not frequently used, but on the other hand, they are centrifuges that have a high number of operations and are continuously rotated for rotation. In the case where there are many uses in a state where the interval is short, oil replenishment or replacement may be required in about 1 to several years.

  When the oil in the oil diffusion pump is low, it is necessary to replenish or replace the oil.However, the oil consumption rate varies greatly depending on the frequency of use and operating time, so the required vacuum performance is not regular. In many cases, oil is refilled or replaced after it is no longer satisfied. However, in order to avoid the centrifugal separation operation under a situation where the vacuum performance is not sufficiently satisfied, it is necessary to confirm the oil amount in advance and replenish the oil before the oil amount becomes a predetermined value or less. On the other hand, in an ordinary centrifuge, the oil diffusion pump is installed at the lower part of the main body or at the rear, and therefore it is difficult for the user to check the oil amount even if an analog meter or a viewing window is provided on the oil diffusion pump. Therefore, in Patent Document 3, a thermistor capable of detecting the oil temperature and the oil level is provided in the boiler so as to notify the oil amount. However, the thermistor is installed in the vacuum vessel of the boiler exceeding 200 ° C. and the signal line is connected. In order to draw out, there were problems that the structure was complicated and the manufacturing cost would rise.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and its object is to estimate the amount of oil stored in the oil diffusion pump (residual oil amount) that decreases with operation without changing the structure of the oil diffusion pump. The purpose of this is to provide a centrifuge capable of informing in advance the timing of oil replenishment and replacement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifuge configured to display a storage amount of an oil diffusion pump on a display unit.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a centrifuge that issues a warning when the amount of stored oil diffusion pump decreases.

Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, typical features will be described as follows.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a rotor that holds a sample to be separated, a rotor chamber that houses the rotor to form a sealed space, a drive source that rotationally drives the rotor, and oil diffusion that depressurizes the rotor chamber. In a centrifuge having a pump, a control means for controlling the centrifugal separation operation, and a display unit for displaying the control information and operational state of the centrifugal separation, the control means determines the amount of oil consumed from the operational state of the oil diffusion pump. The amount of oil stored was calculated. The operating state includes the number of operations of the oil diffusion pump, and the control means calculates the amount of oil consumption B of the oil diffusion pump according to the number of operations. The storage amount is calculated by subtracting the consumption amount B from the stored storage amount. Thus, the storage amount of the oil diffusion pump is not directly detected by the sensor or the oil amount sensor, but the storage amount is indirectly detected by calculating using the operation state of the oil diffusion pump 5. Can do. Since it is common to use an oil rotary pump as an auxiliary vacuum pump for an oil diffusion pump in a centrifuge, it is preferable to consider the use of an oil rotary pump in calculating this consumption. The calculated storage amount is displayed on the display unit.

According to another feature of the present invention, the control means, the amount obtained by multiplying the amount of factor B ₁ and operating time t of oil consumed per time, the total amount B ₀ of the oil to be consumed each time the driver The oil consumption B may be calculated in detail. The centrifuge is provided with means for detecting the temperature of the oil of the oil diffusion pump, and the control means detects the temperature of the oil when the oil diffusion pump is activated, and the start time corresponding to the detected temperature is detected. The oil consumption A was calculated for each operation. The consumption amount A, which corresponds to the detected temperature to calculate the coefficient H _A that increases with temperature, by multiplying the maximum oil consumption A ₀ to increase by a factor H _A and oil temperature of the oil The consumption A can be calculated. The temperature of the oil can be detected by detecting the heater temperature of the oil diffusion pump.

According to still another feature of the present invention, the centrifuge is provided with an air leak valve that can be opened and closed by the control means for returning the decompressed rotor chamber to the atmospheric pressure, and the control means operates the air leak valve. Then, the oil temperature of the oil diffusion pump when the rotor chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure is detected, and the oil consumption C at the time of air leak corresponding to the detected oil temperature is calculated. Consumption C calculates the temperature coefficient H _C of the detected oil can be calculated by multiplying the maximum oil consumption C0 to be consumed during the air leak coefficient H _C. The sum of the oil consumption is calculated as the sum of the oil consumptions A, B, and C, or the consumption A + B + C. In this way, by classifying the cause of oil consumption according to the operating state of the vacuum pump device and the oil temperature of the oil diffusion pump, by calculating the oil storage amount by estimating the oil consumption in the oil diffusion pump from the measured data It is possible to manage the storage amount of the oil diffusion pump with high accuracy.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, the storage amount is displayed in an icon format on a screen displayed on the display unit. This icon may be in the form of a meter whose length changes depending on the storage amount. In addition, the control means can display a warning on the display unit when the storage amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount to notify the user that oil replenishment or replacement is necessary.

According to the present invention, it is possible to calculate the amount of oil consumed in the boiler of the oil diffusion pump and detect the storage amount, so it is possible to inform the advance of the remaining amount of oil display, oil replenishment and replacement time, It is possible to prevent a situation in which the device cannot be used due to lack of oil.
The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings.

It is the schematic which shows the main structures of the centrifuge which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the oil diffusion pump 5 of the centrifuge 100 which concerns on the Example of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows a left half by a side view, and shows a right half by sectional drawing. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen 101 displayed on the operation display part 10 of the centrifuge 100 which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure of the icon 180 which shows the storage amount of the oil diffusion pump 5 of the centrifuge 100 which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a warning screen when the oil quantity of the oil diffusion pump 5 of the centrifuge 100 which concerns on the Example of this invention is insufficient. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the oil consumption detection of the oil diffusion pump 5 of the centrifuge 100 which concerns on the Example of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description is omitted. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a centrifuge (centrifuge) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The centrifuge 100 rotates the rotor 1 at high speed by a motor 2 as a drive source. The rotor 1 can be attached to and detached from the drive shaft 2a of the motor 2, and can be equipped with a plurality of sample containers for containing a sample, and a rotor cover 1a is provided on the upper part. The rotor 1 is housed in a rotor chamber 3 that is shielded from outside air, and the interior of the rotor chamber 3 is decompressed to a high degree of vacuum by forming a sealed space in order to rotate the rotor 1 at a high speed. Thus, since the inside of the rotor chamber 3 is depressurized to a high degree of vacuum, the structure is sealed from the atmosphere. A pipe 7 for sucking air and decompressing the rotor chamber 3 is connected to the rotor chamber 3, and a vacuum pump device is connected to the pipe 7. In this embodiment, an oil diffusion pump 5 and an oil rotary pump 4 acting as an auxiliary vacuum pump are connected in series as a vacuum pump device. The rotation of the motor 2, particularly acceleration / deceleration control and constant speed control are controlled by the control device 9. Although not shown in FIG. 1, since the rotor chamber 3 is cooled at a set temperature, a known cooling device is provided. As a cooling device, what uses the refrigerating cycle which has a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator (all are not shown) can be used.

  The oil rotary pump 4 is an auxiliary vacuum pump for reducing the pressure in the rotor chamber 3 from atmospheric pressure to a high vacuum of about 10 Pascals, and the oil rotary pump 4 is used. The oil rotary pump 4 has high exhaust performance by using a vacuum pump oil to smooth the movement of the rotating part and vacuum-sealing to improve airtightness. The oil mist trap 4a is a filtration filter that is attached to an exhaust port (exit side) of a rotary pump and removes smoke of pump oil accompanying the exhaust air. When this filter is clogged, the performance of the oil rotary pump 4 is deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the filter at an appropriate timing.

  The oil diffusion pump 5 is a main vacuum pump connected to the rotor chamber 3, and the oil rotary pump 4 and the oil diffusion pump 5 are connected in series to constitute a vacuum pump device that quickly depressurizes to a high vacuum state. . The vacuum hose 6 is a pipe for connecting the oil rotary pump 4 and the oil diffusion pump 5, and the pipe 7 is a pipe for connecting the rotor chamber 3 and the oil diffusion pump 5. The temperature sensor 8 is temperature detection means for indirectly measuring the temperature of the oil by detecting the temperature of a heater (described later) built in the oil diffusion pump 5. The control device 9 controls the entire centrifuge 100 (control means), and controls the rotational drive of the rotor 1, drives the oil rotary pump 4 and the oil diffusion pump 5, and the rotor chamber using a cooling device (not shown). 3, detection of the heater temperature using the temperature sensor 8, detection of the pressure in the rotor chamber 3 using the vacuum sensor 11, and input / output control on the operation display unit 10. The method for measuring the temperature of oil is not limited to the measurement based on the temperature of the heater, but may be provided with a sensor that directly measures the temperature of the oil itself.

  The operation display unit 10 serves both as a function as an input means for a user to input driving conditions, and as an output means for displaying various conditions such as driving conditions and driving states and driving states to the user. In this case, a liquid crystal display device (LCD) having a touch function is used. The user uses the operation display unit 10 to instruct the start and stop of the centrifugation operation. The vacuum sensor 11 detects the pressure of air in the rotor chamber 3 and is a kind of pressure gauge for measuring a pressure below atmospheric pressure. The air leak valve 12 connects the inside of the rotor chamber 3 decompressed to a high degree of vacuum and the atmosphere with a pipe line, and opens and closes the pipe line. The air inside the rotor chamber 3 can be returned to the atmospheric pressure by driving the air leak valve 12 to open the pipe and thereby taking outside air into the rotor chamber 3. As the air leak valve 12, an electromagnetic valve that can be electrically controlled by the control device 9 can be used.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the oil diffusion pump 5 of the centrifuge 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the left half is represented by a side view and a part of the right half is represented by a cross-sectional view. The oil diffusion pump 5 includes a boiler 51 that heats the stored oil 52, a heater 53 that heats the oil 52 stored in the boiler 51, and heated and evaporated and vaporized oil molecules rise from the periphery to the center. A jet part 56 that jets downward in one direction vigorously, a cylinder 54 for cooling high-speed oil molecules injected by the jet part 56 against the wall surface, and a radial direction attached to the outer peripheral part of the cylindrical cylinder 54 A plurality of plate-like heat radiating fins 55 extending to the pipe 7, an air inlet 57 connected to the pipe 7, an air outlet 58 connected to the vacuum hose 6, and the like. The boiler 51 is a heating means for storing a predetermined amount of oil 52 for an oil diffusion pump and heating and evaporating and vaporizing the oil 52 using a heater 53. The oil 52 for the oil diffusion pump 5 is stored inside a boiler 51 that is partially formed of a hollow cylinder, and the oil diffusion pump 5 performs an exhaust operation at an oil temperature (for example, 180 ° C.) that varies depending on the type of oil. Here, the amount of oil 52 varies depending on the model, and is, for example, about 75 ml to 100 ml. The heater 53 is a heater that heats the liquid by mounting the heater in the liquid, such as a cartridge heater. For example, the cylindrical heater 53 is used to raise the temperature of the oil 52 in a short time. By using it, the contact area with the oil 52 is widened, and heat conduction and transmission are improved. The jet unit 56 jets oil molecules evaporated and vaporized by being heated by the boiler 51 in one direction. The gas molecules are blown by the vaporized oil molecules jetted at high speed and compressed downward. 58 is discharged. The vaporized oil molecules strike the inner wall of the cylinder 54 and are cooled to liquefy and return to the boiler 51. The air inlet 57 is connected to the rotor chamber 3 by the pipe 7 and serves as an air inlet to the oil diffusion pump 5. A flange-like connecting portion 7a is formed at the end of the pipe 7, and the connecting portion 7a is fixed to the air inlet 57 and a bolt (not shown). A vacuum hose 6 is attached to an exhaust port 58 serving as an air outlet of the oil diffusion pump 5 and connected to an inlet side of the oil rotary pump 4.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the screen 101 displayed on the operation display unit 10 of the centrifuge 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A screen 101 is a screen for displaying control information and an operation state regarding the centrifugal separation operation, and an upper portion (upper portion) in the screen 101 has a rotor rotation speed display column 110, an operation time display column 120, a rotor temperature. Three display fields of the display field 130 are assigned. The rotor rotational speed display column 110 is an area for displaying the rotational speed of the rotor 1 in rpm, and the upper side shows the current rotor rotational speed 111 actually measured by the rotation sensor 17 on the upper side. On the side, the set rotational speed 112 set by the operator is displayed small. The operation time display column 120 is an area for displaying the operation time of the centrifuge, and the elapsed time 121 from the start of the operation to the present is displayed large on the upper side, and the setting (operation) input by the operator is displayed on the lower side. ) Time 122 is displayed small. The rotor temperature display column 130 is an area for displaying the temperature of the rotor 1 (or the internal temperature of the rotor chamber 3). The current rotor temperature 131 is displayed in a large upper row, and the set temperature 132 input by the operator is displayed. Small and displayed in the lower row. When the operator touches each of the rotor speed display column 110, the operation time display column 120, and the rotor temperature display column 130 on the screen, a pop-up screen (not shown) is displayed, and numeric keys from 0 to 9 are displayed there. Since this is displayed, it is possible to input and set the set rotational speed, the operating time, the set temperature of the rotor 1 and the like by operating this display. When a numerical value is input using the numerical key, the input numerical value is input to the designated display field by touching a setting completion key (not shown) or an icon for closing the pop-up screen.

  In the rotor type display field 140, an identification symbol (identification number) 141 corresponding to the type of the rotor 1 to be used is displayed (not yet displayed in FIG. 3). When the operator touches the rotor type display field 140, a list of identification symbols of the rotor 1 that can be selected is displayed on the pop-up screen, and the operator selects one of them by touching the setting completion key or By touching the icon for closing the pop-up screen, the identification number of the selected rotor 1 is displayed in the rotor type display field 140. In the acceleration / deceleration information display field 150, the rotation acceleration gradient (ACCEL) until the rotor 1 reaches the set rotational speed from the stopped state at the start of operation, and the rotor 1 from the set rotational speed to the stopped state when the operation stops. The rotational deceleration gradient (DECEL) is displayed in association with each other at the numerical level. Also in this setting, when the operator touches the acceleration / deceleration information display field 150, the acceleration gradient and the deceleration gradient that can be selected are displayed on the pop-up screen, and are selected by the user. In the user name display area 155, the name of the logged-in user is displayed. Although nothing is displayed in the user name display area 155 in the figure, when a specific user logs in, the registered user name is displayed under the title line of “USER”. The function display unit 160 is a display field for displaying icons for selecting other control functions.

  As described above, the rotor rotation speed display column 110, the operation time display column 120, the rotor temperature display column 130, the rotor type display column 140, and the acceleration / deceleration information display column 150 are set or selected by the operator. The start icon 165 and the stop icon 166 are icons that function only by operation, and when the worker presses the start icon 165, the centrifugal separation operation is started. The motor 2 can also be stopped when the operator arbitrarily presses the stop icon 166 at an arbitrary timing before the end of the centrifugal separation operation. In the centrifugal separation operation, the motor 2 is accelerated with the selected acceleration gradient to reach the set rotational speed, and a settling operation is performed in which the set rotational speed is maintained. Thereafter, after the set time has elapsed in the operation time display column 120, the motor 2 decelerates at the selected deceleration gradient, enters a stopped state, and the centrifugal separation process ends. Here, since the rotor chamber 3 returns to the atmospheric pressure by opening the air leak valve 12, the control device 9 can open the door of the rotor chamber 3.

  The vacuum display column 170 is a display column for visually displaying the degree of vacuum (pressure) of the rotor chamber 3. Here, the degree of vacuum (vacuum degree) is indicated by a bar graph display using three types of trapezoids displayed so that the area increases toward the right side. The bar graph display shows a first bar 171 indicating a low vacuum (for example, 100 Pa or more and less than atmospheric pressure), a first bar 172 indicating a medium vacuum (for example, 0.1 Pa or more and less than 100 Pa), and a high vacuum (for example, 0.1 Pa). The first bar 173 is displayed in three types of display bars, and the degree of vacuum in the rotor chamber 3 is displayed in four stages depending on whether or not these display bars are lit. When all of the three types of trapezoids arranged are white, that is, when the bars 171 to 173 are not displayed, this indicates that the rotor chamber 3 is at atmospheric pressure. Next, when only the left trapezoid is painted black (or lit), it indicates that the rotor chamber 3 is low vacuum, only the left and center trapezoids are painted black (or lit), and the right trapezoid is painted white. (Or off) indicates that the rotor chamber 3 is medium vacuum, and when all three trapezoids are black (or lit), the rotor chamber 3 can rotate the rotor 1 at high speed. Indicates a high vacuum state. Thus, the degree of vacuum of the rotor chamber 3 can be determined by the control device 9 based on the output of the vacuum sensor 11, and the result is displayed in four stages of atmospheric pressure, low vacuum, medium vacuum, and high vacuum by the vacuum display column 170. Can be displayed. In addition, the display form of a vacuum degree is not limited to the aspect of a present Example, It is good also as a bar display divided into the further step, and it may display directly like "13 Pa" numerically, An analog meter may be displayed on the liquid crystal screen to display the degree of vacuum, or any other display form that can be visually identified.

  The vacuum display column 170 also functions as an icon for starting the next operation when touched, and also serves as an on / off switch for the oil rotary pump 4 and the oil diffusion pump 5 which are vacuum pump devices. That is, the vacuum display column 170 also functions as both operation and display. When the operator touches the vacuum display column 170 when the rotor chamber 3 is not evacuated by the vacuum pump device, the air leak valve 12 is closed and the pressure reducing operation by the exhaust inside the rotor chamber 3 is started. This is used when the rotor chamber 3 is depressurized in advance prior to the rotation of the rotor 1 after the rotor 1 is set in the rotor chamber 3.

  An icon 180 indicating the remaining amount of oil in the oil diffusion pump 5 is displayed below the function display unit 160 and above the vacuum display column 170. The icon 180 is an oil amount display unit that also serves as a black horizontal bar graph. In the oil diffusion pump 5, when the oil level 52 a (see FIG. 2) is above the heater 53, a part of the heater 53 is exposed from the oil level, so that the oil heating efficiency decreases and the vacuuming performance deteriorates. Therefore, the degree of vacuum in the rotor chamber 3 is deteriorated. When the degree of vacuum in the rotor chamber 3 is deteriorated, the windage loss of the rotor and the air increases, so that the temperature of the rotor and the sample rises, and the operation may be forcibly terminated by a protective operation for preventing the temperature rise. There is. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the user to replenish the oil 52 of the oil diffusion pump 5 at an appropriate timing by displaying the oil amount by the icon 180 of the oil diffusion pump 5 and to allow the oil to be replenished or replaced before the oil amount is insufficient. it can.

  Here, the display form of the icon 180 will be described with reference to FIG. The left side of FIG. 4 is an icon 180 indicating a full state in which oil is injected as a prescribed amount, and the right side is an icon 180 'when the stored amount (residual oil amount) is low. Here, the icon 180 is displayed as a bar graph extending from left to right, and when the display unit is all black (or lit) like the left icon 180, the icon 180 is stored in the boiler 51. It is displayed that the oil in the oil diffusion pump sufficiently fills the boiler 51. The icon 180 ′ on the right side shows a state where the oil gradually decreases with the long-term use of the centrifuge, and the remaining amount is small, and most of the display part is white (or extinguished). It has become. Here, the right end position of the blackened portion is at the upper limit position of the specified amount, the left end position is at the lower limit position of the specified amount, and between the upper limit position and the lower limit position, the left to the right side A bar-shaped bar graph extending to When the oil in the oil diffusion pump 5 is consumed and approaches the lower limit position, for example, when it decreases below the predetermined amount to the lower limit position as shown by the icon 180 'in the figure, the icon 52 blinks to prompt the oil 52 to be replenished. Is possible. At this time, the user may be alerted by changing the display color of the icon only by blinking display or by simultaneously producing sound. Further, when the oil further decreases from the icon 180 ′ and reaches the lower limit position, a further warning screen as will be described later in FIG. 5 may be displayed, or the centrifugal operation is not permitted. You may do it. In addition, in the oil diffusion pump 5, since it is not necessary to worry about a decrease in the storage amount for a while after replenishing the oil, the icon is displayed when the storage amount is full (the state on the left side in FIG. 4). The display of 180 on the screen 101 may be omitted, and the icon 180 may be displayed on the screen 101 only when the state of the right icon 180 ′ is approached.

  Next, an example of a warning screen when the oil amount of the oil diffusion pump 5 is insufficient will be described with reference to FIG. On the warning screen, a pop-up window 190 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the function display unit 160, and the message “Alert” and a warning message “Needs vacuum pump maintenance”. Is displayed. In the pop-up window 190, an icon 191 for closing the window and an icon 192 for displaying further detailed information regarding the warning are displayed. By selecting the icon 192, the user can select the remaining number of times that can be estimated based on the storage amount, the telephone number of the manufacturer's maintenance service, and the information to be communicated when making a call (centrifuge product model number, equipment number, error Code etc.) can be displayed.

  As described above, since the icon 180 indicating the remaining amount of oil is lit on the screen 101 in this embodiment, the sample loss due to the centrifugal operation being interrupted due to an unexpected abnormality of the oil diffusion pump. In addition, it is possible to effectively avoid a situation in which the centrifuge cannot be used between the occurrence of an abnormality and the completion of oil replenishment or replacement.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for detecting the oil consumption of the oil diffusion pump of the centrifuge that is one embodiment of the present invention. When the vacuum display field 170 of the touch panel type operation display unit 10 is touched by the user or the start icon 165 is touched, the oil rotary pump 4 and the oil diffusion pump 5 which are vacuum pump devices start operation simultaneously. (Step 201). When starting the vacuum pump device, when the oil is already vaporized in a state where the oil temperature in the boiler 51 is already high (for example, when the next centrifugal separation operation is started immediately after the centrifugal separation operation is finished). Since a large amount of oil vapor is sucked into the oil rotary pump 4, a large amount of oil is consumed in the oil diffusion pump 5. Therefore, the control device 9 determines the heater temperature corresponding to the oil temperature of the oil diffusion pump, that is, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 8 attached to the heater portion, and determines whether the temperature is a predetermined temperature, for example, 40 ° C. or more (step 202), if high, the oil consumption A at the start of operation of the oil diffusion pump corresponding to the oil temperature (at the start of evacuation) is estimated (step 202), and if low, the process proceeds to step 204.

The oil consumption A in step 203 may be estimated by estimating the oil consumption (oil consumption A) that increases when the temperature of the oil is already high at the start of evacuation (when the oil diffusion pump is started). Calculate the oil consumption (increase) by the oil temperature at the start of operation of the vacuum pump device. This is because when the vacuuming is started from the beginning when the oil temperature is high (the oil diffusion pump and the auxiliary pump are turned on), the oil is vaporized when a large amount of air is discharged by the auxiliary pump, This is because the amount of oil consumed increases by being sucked into the auxiliary pump.
The oil consumption A is obtained by the following equation.
A = H _A × A ₀
However, _HA : Coefficient according to oil temperature (0 to 1)
A ₀ : Maximum oil consumption [ml] increasing with oil temperature

Here, the higher the temperature of the oil from the beginning, the more oil vapor sucked into the auxiliary pump. Therefore, H _A = 1 is set when the heater temperature is at the upper limit (for example, 180 ° C.), and H _A = 0 is set when the heater temperature is sufficiently low (for example, 40 ° C. or less). Accordingly, H _A = 1 when the heater temperature is 180 ° C. or higher, H _A = 0 when the heater temperature is 40 ° C. or lower, and H _A = (t−40) / 140 when the heater temperature is between these values. Counting serving A ₀ may be previously calculated from the measured values and values calculated using the experimental apparatus of the corresponding model.

Next, when the centrifugal operation is finished in step 204 and the oil rotary pump 4 and the oil diffusion pump 5 are stopped, the control device 9 estimates the oil consumption B in the oil diffusion pump 5 consumed for each operation (step 205). .
The oil consumption B is obtained by the following equation, for example.
B = B ₀ + B ₁ × t
However, B ₀ : amount of oil that must be consumed for each operation [ml]
B ₁ : Coefficient of the amount of oil consumed depending on the operation time
t: Operation time [hr]
Here, mainly focusing on the oil consumption that is always consumed according to the operation time, the oil consumption B calculated by the number of operations and the operation time can be calculated regardless of the temperature of the heater 53. . B ₀ is the amount of oil consumed in one operation from the start of evacuation (atmospheric state) until the degree of vacuum by the oil diffusion vacuum pump is reached. B ₁ × t indicates the amount of oil consumed during the operation time (the amount of oil gradually consumed during operation).
However, if the cooling structure for an oil diffusion vacuum pump (oil vapor trap) is sufficient, the amount of oil which continues to leak during operation are insignificant compared to the B _0, the B 0 _>> B ₁ × t Since the relationship is established, B ₁ = 0 may be set depending on the characteristics of the oil diffusion pump 5. The value of B ₀ can also be calculated from an actual measurement value or a calculated value, for example, B ₀ = 0.003 ml.

Next, when the vacuum display column 170 that also serves as the touch panel of the operation display unit 10 is pressed after the operation is completed, air leakage of the rotor chamber 3 is performed (step 206). When the oil temperature in the boiler 51 is high at the time of air leak, the oil vapor remaining in the cylinder 54 which is a cooling part of the oil diffusion pump 5 is stirred by the air leak and partly flows out into the rotor chamber 3. Is discharged to the atmosphere, and the oil in the oil diffusion pump 5 is consumed more. Therefore, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 8 is determined by the control device 9 (step 207). If the temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the oil consumption C for each air leak corresponding to the detected oil temperature is estimated (step 207). 208).
The oil consumption C is obtained by the following equation, for example.
C = H _C × C ₀
However, _{H C:} coefficient with temperature of the oil (0-1)
C ₀ : Maximum oil consumption [ml] consumed during air leak
The oil consumption C at the time of air leak is greatest when the heater temperature is high and the amount of oil vapor is large. For example, H _c = 1 is set when the heater temperature is at the upper limit (for example, 180 ° C.). Since the oil vapor decreases as the temperature decreases, H _c = 0 to 1 according to the heater temperature, and H _C = 0 is a state in which no oil is vaporized (for example, the heater temperature is less than 100 ° C.). Therefore, H _c = 1 when the heater temperature is 180 ° C. or higher, H _c = 0 when the heater temperature is 100 ° C. or lower, and H _c = (t−100) / 80 when the heater temperature is between these values. In step 207, if the oil temperature is lower than 100 ° C., the calculation of the oil consumption C is ignored. The value of C ₀ may be calculated from an actual measurement value or a calculated value and calculated in advance.

  Usually, during deceleration after the end of the centrifugal separation, the energization of the heater 53 of the oil diffusion pump 5 is stopped, and when the rotor 1 stops and air leaks, the temperature of the heater 53 is made as low as possible. However, if the deceleration time is short and air leaks immediately after the rotor 1 stops, or if the air is leaked as it is without operating the centrifuge, the air leaks while the heater temperature is high, resulting in oil consumption. The amount increases. In the present embodiment, since the oil consumption C is properly calculated even in such a situation where there are many usage methods, the remaining amount of oil in the oil diffusion pump 5 can be obtained with high accuracy. .

  Next, the control device 9 sums up the oil consumption (A + B + C) estimated in Step 203, Step 205, and Step 208, and the remaining amount of the oil 52 stored in a memory (not shown) in the control device 9 The remaining amount of oil is calculated by subtracting from (step 209). The remaining amount of oil 52 is displayed as an icon 180 on the operation display unit 10 by lighting or blinking. Next, the control device 9 determines whether the current remaining amount of the oil 52 is approaching the minimum oil amount (lower limit value) necessary for obtaining a predetermined vacuum, and if replenishment of oil is necessary. A pop-up window 190 is displayed as a warning screen for “promoting maintenance (oil replenishment) of the oil diffusion pump” (step 211), and the procedure is terminated. If the remaining amount of the oil 52 is sufficient in step 210, the processing in the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the oil consumption is accurately determined using the oil temperature at the start of operation of the oil diffusion vacuum pump, the operation time of the oil diffusion vacuum pump, and the oil temperature of the oil diffusion vacuum pump at the time of air leak. Therefore, the amount of oil stored after the centrifugal separation operation can be detected. In these estimations, experimental values are used, and the oil consumption per time corresponding to the temperature of the temperature sensor 8 and the operation time is calculated from the amount of oil decrease when the operation and the air leak are repeated at a certain interval. Since it was calculated | required, an error can be reduced in oil consumption estimation. Furthermore, since the calculated oil storage amount is always displayed as an icon during the next centrifugation operation, a centrifuge that is easy to understand for the user can be realized.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the Example, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned Example, A various change is possible within the range which does not deviate from the meaning. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the remaining oil amount is calculated by the sum of the three estimated values of the oil consumptions A, B, and C. However, not all of these three are used. You may make it estimate simply using only one or one. Conversely, another estimated value other than the three estimated values of oil consumption A, B, and C may be further used. Further, the calculation formula for calculating the oil consumptions A, B, and C is not limited to the above-described primary expression, but may be calculated using other functional expressions. Further, the relationship between the oil consumption amount and the temperature is stored in advance in a memory in the control device 9 in a table format, and the control device is configured to calculate by reading out the corresponding oil consumption amount from the memory. Also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rotor 1a Rotor cover 2 Motor 2a Drive shaft 3 Rotor chamber 4 Oil rotary pump 4a Oil mist trap 5 Oil diffusion pump 6 Vacuum hose 7 Pipe 7a Connection part 8 Temperature sensor 9 Controller 10 Operation display part 11 Vacuum sensor 12 Air leak valve 17 Rotation sensor 51 Boiler 52 Oil 52a Oil level 53 Heater 54 Cylinder 55 Radiation fin 56 Jet part 57 Inlet port 58 Exhaust port 100 Centrifuge 101 Screen 110 Rotor rotation speed display column 111 Number of rotations 112 Set number of rotations 120 Operating time display column 121 Elapsed time 122 hours 130 Rotor temperature display field 131 Rotor temperature 132 Set temperature 140 Rotor type display field 150 Acceleration / deceleration information display field 155 User name display area 160 Function display section 165 Start icon 166 Stop icon 170 Vacuum table Column 171-173 bar 180 (indicating the remaining amount of oil) (for closing the window) icon 190 a pop-up window 191 icon 192 (for displaying detailed information) icon

Claims (10)

A rotor that holds a sample to be separated, a rotor chamber that houses the rotor to form a sealed space, a drive source that rotationally drives the rotor, an oil diffusion pump that decompresses the rotor chamber, and a centrifugal operation In a centrifuge having control means for controlling, and a display unit for displaying control information and operation state of centrifugation,
The centrifuge characterized in that the control means calculates an oil consumption amount from an operating state of the oil diffusion pump, and calculates an oil storage amount.   The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the storage amount on the display unit. The operating state includes the number of operations of the oil diffusion pump,
The centrifuge according to claim 2, wherein the control means calculates an oil consumption (B) of the oil diffusion pump according to the number of operations. The consumption (B) is the amount that the coefficient B ₁ in an amount of oil consumed per time over the operating time t of the oil diffusion pump, by the sum of the amount B ₀ of the oil to be consumed each time the driver The centrifuge according to claim 3, wherein the centrifuge is calculated. Means for detecting the temperature of the oil of the oil diffusion pump;
The operating state includes the temperature of oil when the oil diffusion pump is activated,
The said control means calculates the consumption (A) of the oil at the time of starting of the said oil diffusion pump corresponding to the said detected temperature for every driving | operation, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The centrifuge described. In order to return the decompressed rotor chamber to atmospheric pressure, an air leak valve that can be controlled to open and close from the control means is provided,
The control means detects the oil temperature of the oil diffusion pump when operating the air leak valve to return the rotor chamber to atmospheric pressure, and the amount of oil consumed during air leak (corresponding to the detected oil temperature) The centrifuge according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein C) is calculated.   The centrifuge according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the storage amount is calculated by subtracting the total value of the calculated consumption amounts from the storage amount at the previous operation.   The centrifuge according to claim 7, wherein the storage amount is displayed in an icon format on a screen displayed on the display unit.   The centrifuge according to claim 8, wherein the control unit displays a warning on the display unit when the storage amount becomes a predetermined amount or less. A rotor that holds a sample to be separated, a rotor chamber that houses the rotor to form a sealed space, a drive source that rotationally drives the rotor, an oil diffusion pump that decompresses the rotor chamber, and a centrifugal operation In a centrifuge having control means for controlling, and a display unit for displaying control information and operation state of centrifugation,
Means for detecting the temperature of the oil in the oil diffusion pump;
The control means estimates the oil consumption of the oil diffusion pump from the detected temperature of the oil and the number of operations of the oil diffusion pump,
The centrifuge characterized by calculating the remaining amount of the oil from the consumption and displaying it on the display unit.

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