JP2767269B2 - Sampling tube cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically cleaning a sampling tube used for sucking a sample liquid and supplying it to a measurement cell or the like.

[Conventional technology]

Normally, when sampling using one sampling tube, the next sample solution will be contaminated unless the sample solution attached to the inside and outside of the sampling tube is washed by the previous sampling. Need to move on to the next sampling.

As a general method of cleaning the sampling tube, insert the sample into the washing water to wash the outside of the sampling tube,
After the washing water is suctioned and discharged to wash the inside of the sampling tube, the sampling tube is pulled up from the washing water, and the washing water attached to the sampling tube is wiped off or removed by drying or the like.

In an automatic analyzer, a sampling tube is inserted into a sample container arranged on a turntable or the like, a predetermined amount of sample liquid is sucked and supplied to a measurement cell, etc., and then the sampling tube is moved to a washing tank to remove the sampling tube. While washing the outside, the washing water is suctioned and discharged to wash the inside of the sampling tube and the measuring cell, etc., the sampling tube is pulled up and dried by an air blower, and the sampling tube is returned to the sampling position again. It was inserted into a sample container and sampling was performed. Further, when performing the air-cut cleaning, a troublesome operation of alternately sucking and discharging the cleaning water and the air while taking the sampling tube in and out of the cleaning water has been performed.

As described above, conventionally, it was necessary to move the sampling tube to the washing tank or the washing water container for washing the sampling tube between the samplings. Therefore, the efficiency of the sampling operation and the analysis operation is low, and the automatic sampling device and the like have the disadvantage that the device itself is complicated and large. In addition, there is a danger that the sample liquid attached to the sampling tube is scattered around while moving the sampling tube, and is mixed into another sample solution.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and provides a sampling tube cleaning apparatus that can easily and efficiently clean the inside and outside of a sampling tube without moving the sampling tube to a cleaning tank or a cleaning water container. The purpose is.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, in the sampling tube cleaning device of the present invention, a sampling tube fixing arm provided to be vertically movable on a support, a sampling tube extended downward and supported by the sampling tube fixing arm, A washing block supported by the upper and lower supports and having a sampling tube inserted in the vertical direction, and a sampling tube insertion portion for the washing block, which is formed at the lower end of the washing block and has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the sampling tube. A lower insertion hole, an upper insertion hole formed above and connected to the lower insertion hole and having an inner diameter larger than that of the lower insertion hole; And a drainage passage connected to the drainage pump and having one end open in the lower insertion hole.

〔Example〕

As one specific example of the present invention, a sampling tube cleaning device attached to an automatic analyzer will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic analyzer is of a fixed table type, and is provided with a support 20 movably provided in the X-axis direction.
And a support 21 provided on the support 20 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. The column 21 is provided with a sampling tube fixing arm 2 movably in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), and the sampling tube 1 is fixed on the sampling tube fixing arm 2 at the upper end. Therefore, the sampling tube 1 can move in the X-Y direction on the fixed table on which the sample containers are arranged, and can move in the vertical direction.
The upper end of the sampling pipe 1 is connected to the sampling pump 3 via the measuring cell 4 and the like, and further reaches the drainage tank.

The washing block 5 of the sampling tube washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is fixed to the lower end of the above-mentioned column 21 shown in FIG. The sampling tube 1 is located inside the cleaning block 5 below.
A lower insertion hole 6 having an inside diameter (for example, 2.2 to 2.3 mm) slightly larger than the outside diameter (for example, diameter of 2 to 2.3 mm) of the cleaning block 5 is formed in the upper and lower direction. An inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the hole 6 (for example, 4 to 5 m in diameter)
The upper insertion hole 7 of m) is formed above the lower insertion hole 6 so as to be continuous with the lower insertion hole 6 in the vertical direction.

The sampling tube 1 whose upper end is fixed to the sampling tube fixing arm 2 as described above passes through the lower insertion hole 6 and the upper insertion hole 7, and penetrates through the washing block 5 in the vertical direction. If there is enough space for the sampling tube 1 to move upward, the upper insertion hole 7 is provided with the washing block 5.
It does not necessarily have to be open at the upper end.

Further, a washing water supply path 8 and a drainage path 9 are connected to the washing block 5. The washing water supply passage 8 is connected to a washing water container 12 through a supply pump 11 through a supply port 10 opened in the upper insertion hole 7.
The cleaning water 13 can be supplied into the upper insertion hole 7. On the other hand, the drainage passage 9 communicates with the drainage container 16 through a discharge port 14 opened in the lower insertion hole 6,
Is connected to a vacuum pump 15.

Further, by separately providing a supply path for the calibration standard solution which is opened at one end in the upper insertion hole 7 and connected to the standard solution container through the supply pump, the standard cell is provided to the measurement cell 4 after the sampling tube 1 is washed. It is also possible to supply the liquid continuously to calibrate the electrodes.

[Action]

FIG. 1 shows that the sampling tube 1 is lowered and the sample container 17 is lowered.
And the state where the sample liquid 18 is being sampled.

After sampling is completed, the sampling tube fixing arm 2
At the same time as the sampling pipe 1 is raised, the cleaning water 13 is supplied by the supply pump 11 while the vacuum pump 15 is operated.
Is supplied from the supply port 10 into the upper insertion hole 7. During this time,
The sample liquid 18 adhering to the outside of the sampling tube 1 is sucked from the outlet 14 while passing through the lower insertion hole 6, and further washed by the washing water 13 supplied to the upper insertion hole 7.
Outside is cleaned. Also, it is supplied into the upper insertion hole 7,
The washing water 13 used for washing is sucked from the outlet 14 and stored in the drainage container 16.

The sampling tube 1 that rises while the outside is washed in this way is stopped at a position where the lower end reaches the upper limit A above the lower end B of the upper insertion hole 7. When the sampling pump 3 is further operated at this position (the supply pump 11 and the vacuum pump 15 are continuously operated), the washing water 13 supplied to the upper insertion hole 7 is sucked into the sampling tube 1 and flows into the measuring cell 4 to be sampled. At the same time as the inside of the tube 1 is washed, the measuring cell 4 and the like are also washed. At this time, ON and OFF of the supply pump 11
Is repeated, the cleaning water 13 and the air are alternately sucked, so that the air-cut cleaning can be easily performed.

Further, since the inner diameter of the lower insertion hole 6 is very small, about 2 to 3 mm, the sampling tube 1 can be set in the lower insertion hole 6 by determining the capacity of the supply pump 11 and the vacuum pump 15 for discharge.
Even when the cleaning water 13 is not inside, the cleaning water 13 can be entirely sucked from the outlet 14, so that the cleaning water 13
13 does not leak off. Further, when the sampling tube 1 rises, the droplet of the sample liquid 18 attached to the outside of the sampling tube 1 may come into contact with the vicinity of the lower end C of the lower insertion hole 6. Since the gap with the circumference is extremely small, the gap is not sucked from the outlet 14 and remains near C.

It should be noted that the sampling tube cleaning device of the present invention may be fixed to a non-moving support when the automatic analyzer to be mounted is of a type in which a sample container such as a turntable is transferred.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, it is not necessary to move a sampling tube to a washing tank or a washing water container between samplings, and the sampling tube can be moved from one sample container to the next sample container. Washing is completed,
In particular, in the method in which the sample container is transferred, the sampling tube and the sampling tube cleaning device may be fixed.

Therefore, the washing of the sampling tube is simple and efficient, including air-cut washing, so that the analysis operation can be performed in a shorter time than before, and the scattering of the sample liquid during the movement of the sampling tube can be prevented.

Further, if the supply path of the standard solution is provided in the cleaning block as described above, the calibration can be performed on the spot following the cleaning, which is more convenient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a specific example of a sampling tube cleaning device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of an automatic analyzer to which the sampling tube cleaning device is attached. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sampling pipe 2 ... Sampling pipe fixing arm 3 ... Sampling pump 4 ... Measurement cell, 6 ... Lower insertion hole 7 ... Upper insertion hole, 8 ... Cleaning water supply path 9 ... Drainage path, 10 ... Supply port 11 ... Supply pump, 12 ... Washing water container 13 ... Washing water, 14 ... Outlet 15 ... Vacuum pump, 16 ... Drainage container 17 ... Sample container, 18 ... Sample Liquid 20 ... Support, 21 ... Support

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-57-28262 (JP, A) JP-A-63-139256 (JP, A) JP-A-56-39455 (JP, A) 54059 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 64-5164 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01N 35/00-35/08 G01N 1/00 101

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sampling tube fixing arm provided on a support so as to be movable up and down, a sampling tube extended downward and supported by the sampling tube fixing arm, and a sampling tube supported by the support and extending vertically. The inserted cleaning block, a lower insertion hole which is formed at the lower end of the cleaning block and has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the sampling pipe, and a sampling pipe insertion portion for the cleaning block which is continuous with the lower insertion hole. An upper insertion hole formed above the lower insertion hole and having an inner diameter larger than that of the lower insertion hole; a cleaning water supply unit having one end opened in the upper insertion hole and connected to the cleaning water container through a supply pump; A sampling tube cleaning device, comprising: a drainage passage connected to a discharge pump with one end opened in the hole. 2. The cleaning block according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning block further comprises a supply path for a standard solution for calibration connected to a standard solution container through a supply pump and having one end opened in the upper insertion hole. 1) The apparatus for cleaning a sampling tube according to the above.