JP7498953B2 - Sampling Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sample collection device.

The cement milk method is a typical example of a pre-boring method. In this method, the ground is excavated while injecting drilling fluid to create a vertically extending hole. Cement milk is then injected into the hole to strengthen the base and secure the area around the pile. Then, a prefabricated pile is buried in the hole before the cement milk hardens.

In order to check the quality of the cement milk for root protection and pile fixing, samples of unconsolidated cement milk that has not solidified are collected. Conventionally, a device for collecting unconsolidated samples has been proposed that includes a tank for storing collected samples, a body portion that is provided above the tank so that the inside of the device is in communication with the tank and has a collection port on its side for collecting unconsolidated samples, a piston portion that opens and closes the collection port, and a wire member that can pull up the piston portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the piston portion is pulled up by the wire member, the collection port opens. In this state, the unconsolidated sample collected through the collection port is stored in the tank.

Utility Model Registration No. 3221101

In the loose sample collection device, the sample flows from the top to the bottom through the collection port. If a stone or other object gets caught between the piston and the vicinity of the collection port, creating a gap between the piston and the collection port, a large amount of sample will flow into the tank through the gap.

In addition, in the loose sample collection device, when the sample taken in through the collection port flows into the tank, the air inside the tank is exhausted to the outside through the collection port. However, it is possible that the area around the loose sample collection device is occupied by cement milk, leaving no place for the air to escape. In this case, the sample is prevented from flowing into the tank through the collection port. Even if the air inside the tank can be exhausted to the outside, if that air remains in the cement milk around the tank, it may remain as a void after the cement milk solidifies.

In view of the above situation, the present invention aims to provide a sampling device that can reliably collect a desired amount of sample at a desired location underground.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the sampling device of the present invention is a sampling device that collects samples from a borehole drilled in the ground so as to extend in the vertical direction, and is characterized in that it comprises a cylindrical sample-side storage section that has an inlet for introducing the sample that opens in the axial direction at the lower end of the axial direction of the device and is capable of storing the sample, a plug section that can close the inlet from the inside of the sample-side storage section, a shaft section that has the plug section at its tip and extends in the axial direction inside the sample-side storage section, and a drive section that is arranged on the upper end side of the sample-side storage section and moves the plug section in the axial direction of the sample-side storage section via the shaft section to open and close the inlet.

In addition, in the sample collection device of the present invention, the inner circumferential surface of the sample-side storage section has an inner circumferential surface inclined region that inclines toward the center of the sample-side storage section as it progresses from top to bottom near the inlet.

In addition, in the sample collection device of the present invention, the stopper portion has an abutment area that abuts against the inner circumferential surface inclined area of the sample-side storage portion when the inlet is closed, and at least a portion of the stopper portion including the abutment area is made of a flexible material.

The sample collection device of the present invention is further characterized in that it includes a guide section in a section in the axial direction inside the sample-side storage section, which surrounds the shaft section near the shaft section and has a guide surface extending in the axial direction.

The sample collection device of the present invention is further characterized by including an open/close side detection unit that detects the open/close state of the inlet based on the amount of axial movement of the shaft portion from a reference position in the sample side storage unit.

The sample collection device of the present invention is further characterized by having a pipe whose one end is open to the external space above ground and whose other end is connected to the sample-side storage unit so that the inside of the sample-side storage unit communicates with the external space above ground.

The sampling device of the present invention is further characterized by having a valve that opens and closes the inside of the sample-side storage unit to and from the external space on the ground through the piping.

The sampling device of the present invention is further characterized by including a pipe connected to the sample-side storage unit, and a pump connected to the pipe and for exhausting the air inside the sample-side storage unit to the external space on the ground through the pipe.

The sample collection device of the present invention is further characterized by including a sample detection unit that detects when the height of the sample contained in the sample-side container in the axial direction from the reference position of the sample-side container reaches a predetermined threshold value.

The sample collection device of the present invention is further characterized by having a fill amount detection unit that measures the amount of air exhausted from the sample-side storage unit to the outside and detects the amount of the sample filled in the sample-side storage unit based on the exhaust amount.

The sample collection device of the present invention is also characterized by having a cleaning liquid supply section that supplies cleaning liquid to the inside of the sample-side storage section, and a cleaning-side ventilation section that opens the inside of the sample-side storage section to the outside space.

The sample collection device of the present invention is also characterized by having a vibration unit that applies vibration to the sample-side storage unit.

The sampling device of the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to reliably collect the desired amount of sample at the desired location underground.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a sample collecting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed in a drilled hole provided in the ground. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a sample collecting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a sample collecting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper diagram is a plan view of a plate-like body as viewed from the base end side, the middle diagram is a cross-sectional view of the sample collecting device, and the lower diagram is a plan view of a plug portion as viewed from the tip end side. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which gravel or the like is sandwiched between the contact region of the plug part and the inclined inner peripheral region of the sample-side accommodating part, causing a gap between the contact region of the plug part and the inclined inner peripheral region of the sample-side accommodating part, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the contact region of the plug part is elastically deformed when gravel or the like is sandwiched between the contact region of the plug part and the inclined inner peripheral region of the sample-side accommodating part. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating, in chronological order, the opening of an inlet of a sample collection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is installed in a borehole in the ground. 1 shows the state in which the vent side switching valve is switched to the vacuum pump mode in the process of opening the inlet of the sampling device in the first embodiment of the present invention installed in the drilled hole in the ground. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating, in chronological order, the closing of an inlet of a sample collection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is installed in a borehole in the ground. 1A is a diagram showing how the sampling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is installed in a borehole in the ground, is raised above ground, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing how the sampling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is raised above ground with the inlet incompletely closed. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a sample collecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a diagram showing a cleaning liquid supply mode of the sample collecting device in the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a cleaning liquid stop mode of the sample collecting device in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1C is a diagram showing a cleaning stop mode of the sample collecting device in the second embodiment of the present invention. 13A to 13D are modified examples of the sample collecting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating in chronological order the process of removing a sample from a sample collection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating, in chronological order, the start of cleaning the inside of a sample-side container in a sample collecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating, in chronological order, the completion of cleaning of the inside of a sample-side container in a sample collecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating, in chronological order, how a cleaning liquid and a removed remaining sample are removed from inside a sample-side container in a sample collecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
A sample collection device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the sample collection device 1 collects samples from a drilled hole 910 provided in the ground 1000 so as to extend in the vertical direction. In the present invention, the vertical direction refers to all directions including a vertical component. Therefore, the vertical direction includes not only the vertical direction but also a direction inclined relative to the vertical direction. In the drilled hole 910, a root fixing portion 920 and a pile periphery fixing portion 930 are formed, for example, by the cement milk method. The root fixing portion 920 includes a root fixing liquid made of cement milk. The pile periphery fixing portion 930 includes a pile periphery fixing liquid made of cement milk. The root fixing liquid and the pile periphery fixing liquid may be composed of something other than cement milk.

The sample collection device 1 is attached to a rod 200 that can be moved up or down along the depth direction B of the excavation hole 910 by a crane (not shown) or a device that can be pressed into the cement milk. This allows the sample collection device 1 to collect samples from either the root protection section 920 or the pile periphery fixing section 930. As shown in FIG. 2, the sample collection device 1 has, for example, a sample side storage section 2, a plug section 3, an opening/closing section 4, an opening/closing side storage section 5, an aeration section 6, a sample detection section 7, an opening/closing side detection section 8, and a filling amount detection section 9.

<Sample-side storage section>
The sample-side accommodation section 2 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sample-side accommodation section 2 has an internal space 22. The sample-side accommodation section 2 accommodates a sample collected from the drilled hole 910 in the internal space 22. The sample-side accommodation section 2 is, for example, configured by a cylindrical (e.g., cylindrical) sample-side tubular body 20. The sample-side tubular body 20 has an inlet 21 for introducing a sample from the outside at the tip side in the axial direction A. When the sample is introduced into the internal space 22, the sample passes through the inlet 21. The inlet 21 opens in the axial direction A. Therefore, the outside and the internal space 22 of the sample-side tubular body 20 communicate with each other in the axial direction A via the inlet 21.

The base end side (upper end side) of the sample side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A is closed by a plate-like body 26. The plate-like body 26 has a through hole 26A for passing the shaft portion 40 described later. A sealing member such as a packing is attached near the through hole 26A to seal between the shaft portion 40 and the through hole 26A. This seals the base end side of the sample side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A. The plate-like body 26 may be formed integrally with the sample side cylindrical body 20 or may be formed integrally with the opening/closing side cylindrical body 50 described later. The base end side of the sample side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A does not have to be sealed, and such a state is also included in the present invention.

The sample-side cylindrical body 20 is installed in the drilling hole 910. As shown in FIG. 1, when the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is installed, the tip side (inlet 21 side) of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is installed so that it is located at the back side of the depth direction B of the drilling hole 910 rather than the base end side in the axial direction A. When the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is installed in the drilling hole 910, the tip side (inlet 21 side) of the axial direction A can be read as the lower end side or the lower side, and the base end side of the axial direction A can be read as the upper end side or the upper side, and will be read as such appropriately in the following description. And, it is preferable that the sample-side storage section 2 is arranged so that the axial direction A is along the depth direction B of the drilling hole 910. In this case, the sample is collected by moving through the internal space 22 from the back side to the front side (from the lower side to the upper side) in the depth direction B of the drilling hole 910 through the inlet 21.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the inner circumferential surface 23 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 has an inner circumferential surface inclined region 24 that is inclined in a predetermined section S in the axial direction A. In the inner circumferential surface inclined region 24, the inner circumferential surface 23 is inclined so as to approach the central axis 25 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 as it progresses from the upper side to the lower side of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A. It is preferable that the inner circumferential surface 23 is inclined over the entire region extending in the circumferential direction of the sample-side cylindrical body 20, but only a portion of the region may be inclined.

The specified section S is preferably in the vicinity of the inlet 21. The specified section S may extend to the upper end side of the axial direction A from the inlet 21 or its vicinity. The inclined surface in the inner circumferential surface inclined region 24 functions as a guide surface that guides (centers) the plug portion 3 to the center of the inlet 21. In other words, the inclined surface in the inner circumferential surface inclined region 24 guides the plug portion 3 to a position where the inlet 21 is reliably closed.

In the section that is higher in the axial direction A than the specified section S, the inner circumferential surface 23 extends generally parallel to the axial direction A. In addition, if there is a section lower in the axial direction A than the specified section S, the inner circumferential surface 23 similarly extends generally parallel to the axial direction A.

<Plug part>
The plug portion 3 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the plug portion 3 closes the inlet 21 from the inside of the sample-side accommodation portion 2. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the plug portion 3 has a contact region 30 that can contact the inner peripheral surface inclined region 24. As shown in the lower diagram of Figure 3, the contact region 30 is an annular region that goes around the axis of the sample-side accommodation portion 2.

When the contact area 30 of the plug portion 3 contacts the inner circumferential surface inclined area 24, the inlet 21 is closed by the plug portion 3. As a result, the internal space 22 is substantially sealed. In addition, the plug portion 3 may have any shape as long as the contact area 30 is included on the opposing surface 31 that faces the inner circumferential surface inclined area 24 in the axial direction A.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when, for example, a plurality of gravels 940 or the like are sandwiched between the abutment region 30 and the inner peripheral surface inclined region 24, if the abutment region 30 does not elastically deform, a gap 33 is generated between the abutment region 30 and the inner peripheral surface inclined region 24. As shown in FIG. 4B, if the gravel 940 or the like is pushed into the inside of the plug portion 3, this gap is not generated. For this reason, it is preferable that the region 32 extending from the abutment region 30 of the plug portion 3 to the inside of the plug portion 3 is made of a flexible material. An example of a flexible material is an elastomer. As a result, the plug portion 3 can push the gravel 940 or the like into the inside of the plug portion 3 in the abutment region 30, and does not generate a gap 33. It is preferable that the region 32 extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the abutment region 30. In addition, the region 32 is an annular region that goes around the central axis 25. However, from the perspective of manufacturing costs for the plug portion 3, it is preferable that the plug portion 3 is made almost entirely of a flexible material.

<Opening and closing section>
The opening/closing unit 4 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. The opening/closing unit 4 moves the plug 3 in the axial direction A of the sample-side accommodation unit 2 to open and close the introduction port 21. The opening/closing unit 4 has, for example, an axis unit 40, a drive unit 41, a protection unit 42, an opening/closing side operation unit 43, and a guide unit 44. The guide unit 44 is preferable, but not necessary.

<Shaft>
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the shaft portion 40 extends in the axial direction A. The shaft portion 40 is, for example, configured of a rod-shaped body. The plug portion 3 is provided at the tip of the shaft portion 40. The plug portion 3 may be connected to the shaft portion 40 on the tip side of the shaft portion 40, or may be formed integrally with the shaft portion 40. In addition, it is preferable that the central axis of the shaft portion 40 and the central axis 25 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 approximately coincide with each other.

<Drive unit>
The driving unit 41 moves the shaft portion 40 in the axial direction A. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the driving unit 41 has, for example, a piston 45, a cylinder 46, and a piston driving unit 47. The piston 45 has the shaft portion 40 provided on its tip side. The piston 45 may be connected to the shaft portion 40 at its lower end side, or may be formed integrally with the shaft portion 40. Therefore, the shaft portion 40 moves in conjunction with the operation of the piston 45.

The cylinder 46 accommodates the piston 45 so as to guide the piston 45 in the axial direction A. The piston drive unit 47 has a fluid supply unit 470, a piston forward piping 471, and a piston backward piping 472.

The fluid supply unit 470 supplies fluid to the cylinder 46 in response to the operation received by the opening/closing side operation unit 43. The fluid supply unit 470 has, for example, a fluid source 473 and an opening/closing side switching valve 474. The fluid source 473 supplies a fluid. The fluid is assumed to be, for example, air, but is not limited to this and may be oil. The fluid source 473 has, for example, a compressor if the fluid is air, and has a hydraulic pump if the fluid is oil. Note that in the following description, it is assumed that the fluid is air and that the fluid source 473 supplies air.

The opening/closing side switching valve 474 has a fluid source side port 475 connected to a fluid source 473, an atmosphere side port 476 open to the external space above ground, a piston advance side port 477 connected to a piston advance side piping 471, and a piston retract side port 478 connected to a piston retract side piping 472. The opening/closing side switching valve 474 switches between a closed mode, an open mode, and an opening/closing stop mode according to the operation received by the opening/closing side operation unit 43. When the fluid is oil, the atmosphere side port 476 is replaced with a tank side port that is open to a tank that holds oil.

The closed mode is a mode in which the inlet 21 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is closed (see FIG. 7). In the closed mode, the open/close side switching valve 474 opens communication between the fluid source side port 475 and the piston advance side port 477, and also opens communication between the atmosphere release side port 476 and the piston retreat side port 478. As a result, the piston advance side piping 471 is connected to the fluid source 473, and the piston retreat side piping 472 is open to the external space above ground.

The open mode is a mode in which the inlet 21 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is opened (see FIG. 6). In the open mode, the open/close side switching valve 474 opens communication between the fluid source side port 475 and the piston retraction side port 478, and also opens communication between the atmosphere release side port 476 and the piston advance side port 477. As a result, the piston retraction side piping 472 is connected to the fluid source 473, and the piston advance side piping 471 is opened to the external space above ground.

The open/close stop mode is a mode in which the operation of the piston 45 is stopped (see FIG. 8). In the open/close stop mode, the open/close side switching valve 474 does not open the fluid source side port 475, the atmospheric release side port 476, the piston advance side port 477, and the piston retract side port 478 to any of the other ports, blocking communication with each other. As a result, the piston advance side piping 471 and the piston retract side piping 472 are not open to the fluid source 473 and the external space on the ground, and are in a closed state.

The on-off switching valve 474 can be configured, for example, as a four-port, three-position solenoid valve. Three of the four ports are connected to a fluid source 473, a piston forward piping 471, and a piston backward piping 472, respectively, and the remaining port is open to the external space above ground.

The drive unit 41 described above uses the piston 45, cylinder 46, and piston drive unit 47 to linearly move the shaft unit 40, but it is also possible to linearly move the shaft unit 40 in the axial direction A using a ball screw mechanism and a motor.

The piston forward side piping 471 has a piston forward side external flow passage 471A and a piston forward side internal flow passage 471B. The piston forward side external flow passage 471A extends in the depth direction B (up and down direction) of the drilled hole 910 from the ground to the opening and closing side storage section 5. The piston forward side external flow passage 471A is connected to the piston forward side port 477 of the opening and closing side switching valve 474. The piston forward side internal flow passage 471B is provided inside the opening and closing side storage section 5, and is connected to the piston forward side external flow passage 471A inside the opening and closing side storage section 5 and is connected to the piston forward side connection section 46A of the cylinder 46.

The piston retraction side piping 472 has a piston retraction side external flow path 472A and a piston retraction side internal flow path 472B. The piston retraction side external flow path 472A extends in the depth direction B (up and down direction) of the drilled hole 910 from the ground to the opening and closing side storage section 5. The piston retraction side external flow path 472A is connected to the piston retraction side port 478 of the opening and closing side switching valve 474. The piston retraction side internal flow path 472B is provided inside the opening and closing side storage section 5, and is connected to the piston retraction side external flow path 472A inside the opening and closing side storage section 5 and is connected to the piston retraction side connection section 46B of the cylinder 46.

<Protection section>
The protective part 42 protects (seals) the inside of the cylinder 46 so that the sample does not get into the inside of the cylinder 46. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the protective part 42 is, for example, configured by a bellows cover provided near the outside of the opening 45A of the cylinder 46. The bellows cover covers the periphery of the axis of the shaft part 40 and extends from the surface of the plate-like body 26 on the side of the internal space 22 to the tip side in the axial direction A. The bellows cover is formed in a bellows shape and is freely expandable and contractible in the axial direction A.

<Opening/closing operation section>
The opening/closing side operation unit 43 receives a closing operation, an opening operation, and an opening/closing stop operation from the outside, which are operations corresponding to the closing mode, the opening mode, and the opening/closing stop mode, converts the operation into an instruction signal, and transmits it to the fluid supply unit 470 (opening/closing side switching valve 474). Therefore, the opening/closing side operation unit 43 is preferably provided with an operation button, an operation lever, a touch panel, or the like for switching between the closing mode, the opening mode, and the opening/closing stop mode. In addition, the opening/closing side operation unit 43 may receive an operation signal from an external control device (e.g., a PC), convert the operation signal into an instruction signal, and transmit it to the fluid supply unit 470 (opening/closing side switching valve 474). In addition, the opening/closing side operation unit 43 itself may be a control device, and may receive detection signals from the sample detection unit 7 and the opening/closing side detection unit 8 described later, change the detection signals into instruction signals based on these signals, and transmit them to the fluid supply unit 470 (opening/closing side switching valve 474). In other words, it is applicable to both manual operation and automatic operation.

<Information Section>
The guide portion 44 guides the shaft portion 40 in the axial direction A. The guide portion 44 is provided inside the sample-side cylindrical body 20. The guide portion 44 is preferably formed, for example, in a plate shape. This is to maximize the volume of the sample that can be accommodated in the internal space 22 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the guide portion 44 divides the internal space 22 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 into two in the axial direction A. The guide portion 44 also has a piston-side through hole 440 that penetrates in the axial direction A. The piston-side through hole 440 passes through the shaft portion 40. The piston-side through hole constituent surface that constitutes the piston-side through hole 440 surrounds the circumferential surface around the axis of the shaft portion 40 in a portion of the axial direction A and extends in the axial direction A. The diameter of the piston-side through hole 440 is slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 40. For this reason, the piston-side through hole constituent surface functions as a guide surface that guides the shaft portion 40 in the axial direction A. Furthermore, without guide portion 44, a force would be applied to shaft portion 40 by the sample or the like, and shaft portion 40 would move in a direction different from the axial direction. If shaft portion 40 moves in a direction different from the axial direction, plug portion 3 would not be able to close introduction port 21. On the other hand, with guide portion 44, it is guaranteed that shaft portion 40 is guided in the axial direction, and therefore plug portion 3 can reliably close introduction port 21.

The guide section 44 is also provided with at least one sample-side through-hole 441 for passing the sample. As the sample is introduced into the internal space 22 through the inlet 21, the height of the sample relative to the inlet 21 in the internal space 22 of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 gradually increases. At this time, without the sample-side through-hole 441, the sample would not be able to move above the guide section 44. For this reason, the sample-side through-hole 441 is provided. This allows the sample to pass through the sample-side through-hole 441 and move above the guide section 44.

<Opening/closing side storage section>
2 and 3, the opening/closing side accommodating section 5 will be described. The opening/closing side accommodating section 5 has an accommodating space 52. The accommodating space 52 accommodates the piston 45 and the cylinder 46. The opening/closing side accommodating section 5 is constituted by an opening/closing side cylindrical body 50 having a cylindrical shape.

The opening/closing side cylindrical body 50 is disposed so that its own central axis 55 and the central axis 25 of the sample side cylindrical body 20 are substantially aligned. The opening/closing side cylindrical body 50 has an end proximal to the sample side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A closed by a plate-like body 26, and an end distal to the sample side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A closed by a plate-like body 56. The plate-like body 56 may be attached to the opening/closing side cylindrical body 50 by a screw 56D as a separate member from the opening/closing side cylindrical body 50, or may be formed integrally with the opening/closing side cylindrical body 50.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the plate-shaped body 56 has three through holes 56A to 56C for passing the piston forward piping 471, the piston retraction piping 472, and the ventilation piping 60 described below.

<Ventilation section>
The ventilation section 6 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The ventilation section 6 provides ventilation between the outside and the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ventilation section 6 has a ventilation pipe 60, a ventilation-side switching valve 61, a vacuum pump 62, and a ventilation-side operation unit 63. The ventilation pipe 60 is a pipe for providing ventilation between the external space on the ground and the inside of the sample-side accommodation section 2. The ventilation pipe 60 has an exterior-side ventilation flow path 60A and an interior-side ventilation flow path 60B.

The external ventilation flow path 60A is connected to the ventilation side switching valve 61 and extends in the depth direction B (up and down direction) of the drilled hole 910 from the ground to the opening and closing side storage section 5. The internal ventilation flow path 60B is provided inside the opening and closing side storage section 5, with one end connected to the external ventilation flow path 60A and the other end connected to the ventilation side connection section 20A provided on the plate-like body 26. The internal space of the internal ventilation flow path 60B is in communication with the internal space 22 of the sample side cylindrical body 20.

The ventilation side switching valve 61 has a vacuum pump side port 64 connected to the vacuum pump 62, an atmosphere release side port 65 that is open to the external space above ground, and a ventilation pipe side port 66 that is connected to the ventilation pipe 60. The ventilation side switching valve 61 switches between an atmosphere release mode (see FIG. 7), a vacuum pump mode (see FIG. 6), and a ventilation stop mode (see FIG. 8) according to the operation received by the ventilation side operation unit 63. The ventilation side switching valve 61 can be configured, for example, by a three-port three-position solenoid valve.

The atmosphere release mode is a mode in which the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is opened to the external space on the ground. In the atmosphere release mode, the vent side switching valve 61 opens the atmosphere release side port 65 and the vent pipe side port 66, while blocking the opening of the vacuum pump side port 64 and other ports. In other words, one end of the vent pipe 60 is open to the external space on the ground, and the other end is connected to the sample side housing part 2 so that the inside of the sample side housing part 2 communicates with the external space on the ground. As a result, the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is opened to the external space on the ground through the vent pipe 60. In this case, the internal air of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is at a pressure equivalent to the atmospheric pressure of the external space on the ground. According to the vent pipe 60 configured as described above, the air inside the sample side cylindrical body 20 can be exhausted to the external space on the ground, so that it is possible to prevent air from remaining in the sample outside the sample side cylindrical body 20.

The vacuum pump mode is a mode in which the inside of the sample side cylinder 20 is connected to the vacuum pump 62. In the vacuum pump mode, the vent side switching valve 61 opens the vacuum pump side port 64 and the vent pipe side port 66, while blocking the atmosphere release side port 65 and other ports. As a result, the inside of the sample side cylinder 20 is connected to the vacuum pump 62 through the vent pipe 60. In this case, when the vacuum pump 62 operates, the air inside the sample side cylinder 20 is exhausted to the outside, resulting in a pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure.

The ventilation stop mode is a mode in which the inside of the sample side cylinder 20 is closed and the inside of the sample side cylinder 20 is isolated from the external space. In the ventilation stop mode, the ventilation side switching valve 61 blocks communication between the vacuum pump side port 64, the atmosphere release side port 65, and the ventilation pipe side port 66.

The vacuum pump 62 may not be required. In this case, the ventilation side switching valve 61 is configured as a two-port solenoid valve, and only opens or closes the ventilation pipe 60 to the external space above ground. Also, the part that opens to the external space above ground may be eliminated, and only the vacuum pump 62 may be used. In this case, the ventilation side switching valve 61 is configured as a two-port solenoid valve, and only opens or closes the ventilation pipe 60 to the vacuum pump 62. Also, in this embodiment, the vacuum pump 62 is used to exhaust air to the outside, and may be replaced with something else as long as it has an air exhaust function.

When the vacuum pump 62 is operated, the internal pressure of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 decreases, so that the force that draws the sample into the sample-side cylindrical body 20 can be increased. For this reason, it is useful to operate the vacuum pump 62 when the force that draws the sample into the sample-side storage section 2 is small when the inlet 21 is opened.

The ventilation side operation unit 63 receives from the outside an atmospheric release operation, a vacuum pump operation, and an aeration stop operation, which correspond to the atmospheric release mode, the vacuum pump mode, and the aeration stop mode, converts the operation into an instruction signal, and transmits it to the ventilation side switching valve 61. Therefore, it is preferable that the ventilation side operation unit 63 is provided with an operation button, an operation lever, a touch panel, etc., for switching between the atmospheric release mode, the vacuum pump mode, and the aeration stop mode. It may also receive an operation signal from an external control device (e.g., a PC), convert the operation signal into an instruction signal, and transmit it to the ventilation side operation unit 63. The ventilation side operation unit 63 itself may be a control device, and may receive detection signals from the sample detection unit 7 and the opening/closing side detection unit 8, convert the detection signals into instruction signals based on these signals, and transmit them to the ventilation side switching valve 61. In other words, it is applicable to both manual operation and automatic operation. It is also possible to integrate the ventilation side operation unit 63 and the opening/closing side operation unit 43. At this time, the open mode of the ventilation side operation unit 63 can be linked to the atmosphere release mode or vacuum pump mode of the opening/closing side operation unit 43. Also, the close mode of the ventilation side operation unit 63 can be linked to the atmosphere release mode or ventilation stop mode of the opening/closing side operation unit 43. Furthermore, the opening/closing stop mode of the ventilation side operation unit 63 can be linked to the atmosphere release mode or ventilation stop mode of the opening/closing side operation unit 43.

<Sample detection unit>
The sample detection unit 7 detects that the height of the sample accommodated in the sample-side accommodation unit 2 in the axial direction A from the reference position of the sample-side accommodation unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as the sample height reference position) has reached a predetermined threshold value. The sample height reference position may be, for example, the inlet 21, but is not limited thereto, and may be another position in the sample-side accommodation unit 2. The sample detection unit 7 is configured, for example, by a water level gauge or a float switch of a floating ball type. The detection result in the sample detection unit 7 is notified to the operator through a notification unit (not shown). Examples of the notification mode in the notification unit include display on a display unit, output of a sound, and lighting of a detection light. It is also preferable to transmit the detection signal to the ventilation side operation unit 63 or the opening/closing side operation unit 43. According to the sample detection unit 7 configured as above, the amount of the sample accommodated in the sample-side accommodation unit 2 can be grasped even from the ground.

<Open/close side detection unit>
The open/close side detector 8 detects whether the inlet 21 is open or closed. The open/close side detector 8 detects the open/closed state of the inlet 21 based on the amount of movement of the shaft 40 in the axial direction A from the reference position of the sample-side storage unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as the movement amount side reference position). In this embodiment, the open/close side detector 8 regards the amount of movement of the shaft 40 in the axial direction A from the reference position as the stroke amount from the reference position of the piston 45 with respect to the cylinder 46, and detects the open/closed state of the inlet 21 based on the stroke amount. Note that the open/close side detector 8 may be configured to directly measure the stroke amount from the reference position of the piston 45. For example, if the position of the shaft 40 (piston 45) in a state in which the plug 3 closes the inlet 21 is set as the movement amount side reference position, when the shaft 40 (piston 45) moves from the movement amount side reference position to the upper end side of the axial direction A, the inlet 21 is opened. Therefore, when the position of the shaft portion 40 (piston 45) is deviated from the movement amount side reference position, the opening/closing side detection unit 8 detects that the inlet 21 is open. On the other hand, when the position of the shaft portion 40 (piston 45) is at the movement amount side reference position, the opening/closing side detection unit 8 detects that the inlet 21 is closed. The detection result in the opening/closing side detection unit 8 is notified to the operator through a notification unit (not shown). Examples of the notification mode in the notification unit include display on a display unit, output of a sound, lighting of a detection light, etc. It is also preferable to transmit the detection signal to the ventilation side operation unit 63 or the opening/closing side operation unit 43.

In addition, for example, when the inlet 21 is closed with a small stone sandwiched between the contact area 30 of the plug 3 and the inner circumferential surface inclined area 24 of the sample-side storage unit 2, the shaft 40 (piston 45) may be positioned slightly offset from the movement amount side reference position. Even in this case, if the gap between the contact area 30 and the inner circumferential surface inclined area 24 is small, the inlet 21 may be considered to be in a closed state. For this reason, the opening/closing side detection unit 8 may be configured to detect that the inlet 21 is in a closed state if the movement amount (stroke amount) of the shaft 40 (piston 45) from the above-mentioned movement amount side reference position is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, and otherwise detect that the inlet 21 is in an open state. According to the opening/closing side detection unit 8 configured as described above, it is possible to grasp that the inlet 21 is not closed because the opening/closing unit 4 has performed an operation to close the inlet 21, but a large stone has been sandwiched between the contact area 30 of the plug 3 and the inner circumferential surface inclined area 24 of the sample-side storage unit 2.

<Filling amount detection unit>
When a sample is accommodated in the sample-side accommodation section 2, the air inside the sample-side cylindrical body 20 is exhausted to the outside through the ventilation pipe 60. Using this, the filling amount detection section 9 measures the amount of air exhausted from the sample-side accommodation section 2 to the outside, and detects the amount of sample filled in the sample-side accommodation section 2 based on the exhaust amount. Specifically, the filling amount detection section 9 has, for example, an exhaust amount measurement section 90 and a filling amount calculation section 91, as shown in FIG.

The exhaust amount measuring unit 90 measures the amount of air exhausted from the sample side storage unit 2 to the outside through the ventilation pipe 60. In this embodiment, the exhaust amount measuring unit 90 is provided in the pipe 67 connected to the atmospheric release side port 65, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided at any position of the ventilation pipe 60 connected to the ventilation pipe side port 66. The exhaust amount measuring unit 90 is, for example, a flow meter. The filling amount calculation unit 91 calculates the filling amount of the sample in the sample side storage unit 2 based on the amount of air exhausted measured by the exhaust amount measuring unit 90 after the inlet 21 is opened. The filling amount calculation unit 91 is, for example, a computer such as a PC.

The detection result of the filling amount detection unit 9 is notified to the operator via an alarm unit (not shown). The alarm unit issues various alarms, such as an alarm of the specific filling amount and an alarm that the filling amount has exceeded a predetermined threshold. An example of an alarm mode for the specific filling amount is a display of the specific filling amount on the display unit. An alarm that the filling amount has exceeded a predetermined threshold is an alarm such as a sound output or the lighting of an alarm light. It is also preferable to transmit the detection signal to the ventilation side operation unit 63 or the opening/closing side operation unit 43. With the filling amount detection unit 9 configured as described above, the filling amount of the sample stored in the sample side storage unit 2 can be ascertained even from the ground.

<Operation of the sample collection device>
A procedure for collecting a sample using the sample collection device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 5 to 8. Note that the sample collection device 1 shown in Figures 5 to 8 differs from the sample collection device 1 shown in Figures 2 and 3 in the arrangement of the opening/closing side operation unit 43, the opening/closing side switching valve 474, the ventilation side operation unit 63, and the ventilation side switching valve 61, but this is only for convenience of drawing, and all are essentially the same.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the sample collection device 1 is lowered to the desired depth of the excavation hole 910 by a crane (not shown) or a device that can be pressed into the cement milk. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(A), when the open operation by the operator is accepted by the open/close side operation unit 43, the open/close side switching valve 474 goes into the open mode, the piston retreat side piping 472 is opened to the fluid source 473, and the piston advance side piping 471 is opened to the external space on the ground. As a result, the plug portion 3 moves upward in the axial direction A together with the shaft portion 40. As a result, the inlet 21 opens. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5(A), it is preferable that the air release mode by the operator is accepted by the ventilation side operation unit 63, and the ventilation side switching valve 61 is switched to the air release mode. In this case, the external space on the ground and the inside of the sample side storage unit 2 are in a state where ventilation is possible. Therefore, the inside of the sample side storage unit 2 is at a pressure equivalent to the atmospheric pressure of the external space on the ground. Furthermore, the air inside the sample-side housing part 2 is exhausted to the external space on the ground, rather than into the sample around the sample-side housing part 2, so no voids are created in the sample around the sample-side housing part 2.

When the inlet 21 is opened in this state, the water pressure of the sample at the underground sampling location is greater than the air pressure in the internal space 22 (which is equal to the atmospheric pressure in the external space above ground), so the sample flows into the sample-side storage section 2 as shown in FIG. 5(A). Note that if the viscosity of the sample is high, or if the sampling location is relatively shallow and the pressure difference between the water pressure of the sample and the air pressure in the internal space 22 of the sample-side storage section 2 is small, the sample may not flow into the sample-side storage section 2 in sufficient quantity. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the operator performs a vacuum pump operation on the ventilation side operation section 63 and switches the ventilation side switching valve 61 to vacuum pump mode. This allows the sample to be sucked up into the sample-side storage section 2.

Then, when a sufficient amount of sample is collected inside the sample-side storage section 2 and the height of the sample from the reference position on the sample height side reaches a predetermined threshold, the sample detection section 7 detects this. The detection result in the sample detection section 7 is notified to the operator through a notification section (not shown). In addition, the filling amount detection section 9 detects the amount of sample filled in the sample-side storage section 2 based on the flow rate of air flowing from the sample-side storage section 2 to the outside through the ventilation pipe 60 after the inlet 21 is opened. The detection result in the filling amount detection section 9 is notified to the operator through a notification section (not shown). At this time, when the opening/closing side operation section 43 accepts a closing operation by the operator, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the opening/closing side switching valve 474 goes into the closed mode, opening the piston forward side pipe 471 to the fluid source 473 and opening the piston backward side pipe 472 to the external space on the ground. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7(B), the plug section 3 moves downward in the axial direction A together with the shaft section 40, and the inlet 21 is plugged by the plug section 3. In addition, when the sample detection unit 7 detects the sample, the opening/closing switching valve 474 may be configured to automatically switch to the closed mode. At the same time, the vacuum pump mode and the open-to-atmosphere mode may also be configured to automatically switch to the ventilation stop mode.

After that, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the sample collection device 1 containing the sample is raised to the ground by a crane (not shown). It is possible that a large stone is caught between the contact area 30 of the plug portion 3 and the inner peripheral surface inclined area 24 of the sample side storage portion 2, causing the inlet 21 to be insufficiently closed. In this case, the sample leaks out from the inlet 21 during the process of raising the sample collection device 1 to the ground. However, in the sample collection device 1 of this embodiment, when the inlet 21 is insufficiently closed, this is detected by the opening/closing side detection unit 8 and the operator is notified through the notification unit (not shown). In response to this, it is preferable that the operator performs an air vent stop operation on the air vent side operation unit 63 and switches the air vent side switching valve 61 to the air vent stop mode as shown in FIG. 8(B). If the inside of the sample-side storage section 2 is not ventilated with the external space above ground, even if the sample tries to leak out from the inlet 21, the air remaining in the internal space 22 will be in a negative pressure state, and the sample will not leak out from the inlet 21. Note that the ventilation-side switching valve 61 may be configured to automatically switch to ventilation stop mode when the opening/closing side detection unit 8 detects that the inlet 21 is not fully closed in the sample collection device 1, it is also preferable to forcibly move the gravel near the inlet 21 by repeating the open and closed modes.

Then, on the ground, in the open mode, the plug portion 3 is moved upward in the axial direction A together with the shaft portion 40, and the sample is taken out from the inlet 21. At this time, it is preferable to use the open-to-atmosphere mode. This allows the underground sample to be collected on the ground.

As described above, according to the sample collection device 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the pressure difference can be used to suck up the sample from the lower side to the upper side through the inlet at the lower end of the sample collection device 1. Therefore, by adjusting the pressure difference, the amount of sample sucked up can be controlled even if there is a gap at the inlet.

Second Embodiment
A sample collection device 1 in a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The sample collection device 1 in this embodiment is obtained by adding a cleaning unit 10 that cleans the inside of the sample-side cylinder 20 (sample-side storage unit 2) with a cleaning liquid to the sample collection device 1 in the first embodiment. The cleaning unit 10 includes, for example, a cleaning liquid supply unit 11, a cleaning-side ventilation unit 12, a vibration unit 13, a cleaning-side operation unit 14, a cleaning liquid detection unit 15, an alarm unit 16, and a pressure detection unit 17.

<Cleaning liquid supply unit>
The cleaning liquid supply unit 11 supplies cleaning liquid to the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 in accordance with the operation received by the cleaning side operation unit 14, and has, for example, a cleaning liquid source 111, a cleaning liquid piping 112, and a cleaning side switching valve 113.

The cleaning liquid source 111 supplies cleaning liquid. Examples of cleaning liquid include water, but are not limited to this, and other liquids may be used. Examples of cleaning liquid source 111 include, but are not limited to, a water supply, and may be a tank that stores liquid, or a natural water source such as a river or lake, and a pump that pumps out water from the water source.

The cleaning liquid pipe 112 has an external liquid flow path 114 and an internal liquid flow path 115. One end of the external liquid flow path 114 is connected to the cleaning side switching valve 113, and the other end is connected to the internal liquid flow path 115. The external liquid flow path 114 is, for example, a tube made of a deformable material, and is detachably connected to the cleaning side switching valve 113 and the internal liquid flow path 115. The internal liquid flow path 115 is provided inside the opening/closing side storage section 5, and one end is connected to the external liquid flow path 114, and the other end is connected to the liquid side connection part 20B provided on the plate-like body 26. The liquid side connection part 20B has an internal passage (not shown) that leads to the internal space 22 side of the sample side cylindrical body 20. The internal liquid flow path 115 is in communication with the internal space 22 of the sample side cylindrical body 20 via the internal passage of the liquid side connection part 20B.

The cleaning side switching valve 113 has a cleaning liquid source side port 1130 connected to the cleaning liquid source 111, an atmosphere release side port 1131 that is open to the external space on the ground, a cleaning liquid piping side port 1132 connected to the cleaning liquid piping 112 (external side liquid flow path 114), and a cleaning side vent piping side port 1133 connected to the cleaning side vent piping 60C that branches off from the vent piping 60 (external side vent flow path 60A). The cleaning side switching valve 113 switches between a cleaning liquid supply mode, a cleaning liquid stop mode, and a cleaning stop mode according to the operation received by the cleaning side operation unit 14.

<Washing side ventilation section>
The cleaning side ventilation section 12 opens the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 to the outside space in response to an operation received by the cleaning side operation section 14. As shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning side ventilation section 12 has, for example, a cleaning side switching valve 113 and a cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C connected thereto. The cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C is joined to the ventilation pipe 60 (exterior side ventilation flow path 60A) in the middle. That is, a part of the ventilation pipe 60 also serves as the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C. The cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C has a role of discharging air equivalent to the liquid that has flowed into the inside of the sample side accommodation section 2 from the cleaning liquid source 111 into the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 to the outside space. On the other hand, a dedicated cleaning side internal ventilation flow path may be provided inside the opening/closing side storage section 5 and the cleaning side ventilation piping 60C may be directly connected to it, thereby making it completely independent from the ventilation piping 60 that exhausts the internal air when a sample is taken.

<Vibration part>
The vibration unit 13 applies vibrations to the sample-side accommodation unit 2 in response to an operation received by the cleaning-side operation unit 14. The vibration unit 13 has a piezoelectric element that converts a voltage applied to a piezoelectric body such as a piezoelectric ceramic into a force. When an AC voltage with a frequency corresponding to an ultrasonic wave is applied to the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element performs ultrasonic vibrations.

The vibration unit 13 is provided so as to be directly or indirectly connected to the sample side cylindrical body 20 or the opening/closing side cylindrical body 50 (opening/closing side storage section 5) via a predetermined member. In this embodiment, the vibration unit 13 is provided on the gripping mechanism side that holds the rod 200 to which the sample collection device 1 is connected at its lower end. As a result, the vibration in the vibration unit 13 is transmitted to the sample side cylindrical body 20, causing the sample side cylindrical body 20 to vibrate. The vibration unit 13 may be provided in the sample collection device 1, but is not limited to this. In other words, the vibration unit 13 may be provided, for example, not in the sample collection device 1, but in an arm such as a crane that moves the sample collection device 1, or in other external devices. In this case, when cleaning the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20, the vibration unit 13 operates according to an instruction from the operation unit of the external device to apply vibration to the sample collection device 1. The operation unit of the external device is independent of the cleaning side operation unit 14 and is not electrically connected to the cleaning side operation unit 14. However, the vibration unit 13 of the external device may be configured to receive an operation signal from the cleaning operation unit 14 corresponding to an operation accepted by the cleaning operation unit 14, and to operate automatically in conjunction with the operation signal. Such configurations are also within the scope of the present invention.

<Washing side operation unit>
The cleaning side operation unit 14 externally receives a cleaning operation, a cleaning liquid stop operation, and a cleaning stop operation, which are operations corresponding to the cleaning liquid supply mode, the cleaning liquid stop mode, and the cleaning stop mode, converts the operations into instruction signals, and transmits them to the cleaning liquid supply unit 11 (cleaning side switching valve 113) and the vibration unit 13. Therefore, the cleaning side operation unit 14 preferably includes an operation button, an operation lever, a touch panel, or the like for switching between the cleaning liquid supply mode, the cleaning liquid stop mode, and the cleaning stop mode.

The cleaning side operation unit 14 may also receive an operation signal from an external control device (e.g., a PC), convert the operation signal into an instruction signal, and transmit it to the cleaning liquid supply unit 11 (cleaning side switching valve 113) and the vibration unit 13. The cleaning side operation unit 14 itself may be a control device, receive detection signals from the cleaning liquid detection unit 15, convert the detection signals into instruction signals based on these signals, and transmit them to the cleaning liquid supply unit 11 (cleaning side switching valve 113) and the vibration unit 13. In other words, it is applicable to both manual operation and automatic operation. As explained in <Vibration unit>, the operation of the vibration unit 13 may or may not be associated with the operation of the cleaning side operation unit 14.

<Cleaning liquid detection unit>
The cleaning liquid detection unit 15 detects that the height (water level) of the cleaning liquid contained in the sample-side cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction A from the reference position of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as the cleaning liquid height side reference position) has reached a predetermined threshold value. The cleaning liquid detection unit 15 is, for example, configured by a water level sensor provided inside the sample-side cylindrical body 20. When the cleaning liquid continues to be supplied to the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 with the inlet 21 closed by the plug part 3, the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 becomes full of the cleaning liquid. When the cleaning liquid continues to be further supplied to the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 from the state where it is full of the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the outside through the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C and the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning liquid detection unit 15 detects that the cleaning liquid level based on the cleaning liquid height reference position has reached a predetermined threshold, and transmits the detection signal to the cleaning side operation unit 14. As a result, the notification unit 16 can notify the outside. The notification unit 16 may notify the outside by, for example, light (LED, etc.) or a display on a display screen, or may notify the outside by sound. This allows the operator to quickly recognize that the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is filled with cleaning liquid, and therefore the supply of cleaning liquid can be stopped. As a result, the cleaning liquid is not allowed to flow into the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C or the cleaning side switching valve 113, so clogging of the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C and failure of the cleaning side switching valve 113 can be suppressed. The cleaning liquid detection unit 15 can also be substituted by the sample detection unit 7.

<Pressure detection unit>
9, a pressure detector 17 may be provided simultaneously with the cleaning liquid detector 15 or instead of the cleaning liquid detector 15. The pressure detector 17 detects the pressure inside either the cleaning liquid pipe 112 or the sample-side cylinder 20. The pressure detector 17 may be provided inside the sample-side cylinder 20, inside the cleaning liquid pipe 112, or at any position communicating with them. By transmitting the pressure value of the pressure detector 17 to the cleaning-side operation unit 14, it is possible to determine whether the pressure inside the cleaning liquid pipe 112 or the sample-side cylinder 20 has reached a predetermined threshold value. When the cleaning-side operation unit 14 determines that the internal pressure has exceeded the predetermined threshold value, the notification unit 16 executes a desired notification.

Furthermore, when the cleaning side operation unit 14 detects the state of the internal cleaning liquid by signals from the cleaning liquid detection unit 15 or the pressure detection unit 17, it is preferable that this cleaning side operation unit 14 transmits an instruction signal to the cleaning liquid supply unit 11 (cleaning side switching valve 113) to switch to the cleaning liquid stop mode or cleaning stop mode, and the supply of cleaning liquid can be automatically stopped.

<Description of cleaning liquid supply mode etc.>
Next, the cleaning liquid supply mode, the cleaning liquid stop mode, and the cleaning stop mode will be described in detail. The cleaning liquid supply mode is a mode in which the cleaning liquid is supplied to the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 while the inside of the sample-side storage section 2 is open to the outside space. In the cleaning liquid supply mode, the cleaning-side switching valve 113 opens the cleaning liquid source side port 1130 and the cleaning liquid piping side port 1132, and opens the atmosphere release side port 1131 and the cleaning-side ventilation piping side port 1133, as shown in FIG. 10(A). As a result, the cleaning liquid source 111 and the cleaning liquid piping 112 are connected, and the cleaning-side ventilation piping 60C is opened to the outside space on the ground. The cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid source 111 into the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 through the cleaning liquid piping 112, and air or cleaning liquid equivalent to the cleaning liquid flowing in through the cleaning-side ventilation piping 60C is discharged from the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 to the outside space. In the present embodiment, in the cleaning liquid supply mode, it is preferable that the vibration section 13 operates (vibrates).

The cleaning liquid stop mode is a mode in which the supply of cleaning liquid to the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is stopped. In the cleaning liquid stop mode, the cleaning side switching valve 113 does not open any of the cleaning liquid source side port 1130, the atmosphere release side port 1131, the cleaning liquid piping side port 1132, and the cleaning side vent piping side port 1133 to each other, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), and keeps the opening between each port blocked. As a result, the cleaning side vent piping 60C is not opened to the outside space, so the air inside the sample side storage unit 2 is not discharged to the outside space. In addition, since the cleaning liquid piping 112 is not connected to the cleaning liquid source 111, cleaning liquid is not supplied to the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20. In addition, in the cleaning liquid stop mode in this embodiment, the operation (vibration) of the vibration unit 13 continues.

The cleaning stop mode is a mode in which cleaning of the inside of the sample side cylinder 20 is stopped. In the cleaning stop mode, the cleaning side switching valve 113 operates in the same manner as in the cleaning liquid stop mode, as shown in FIG. 10(C). In this embodiment, in the cleaning liquid stop mode, the operation (vibration) of the vibration unit 13 is stopped.

Also, as shown in Figs. 11(A) to (D), the functions of the vent side switching valve 61 and the cleaning side switching valve 113 may be combined into one to provide a multi-way valve 120 having five ports. In this case, as shown in Fig. 11, it is preferable that the external side ventilation flow path 60A also serves as the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C. The five ports of the multi-way valve 120 are the cleaning liquid source side port 1130, the atmosphere release side port 65, the vacuum pump side port 64, the ventilation pipe side port 66, and the cleaning liquid pipe side port 1132. The multi-way valve 120 can realize four modes by switching. The four modes are the atmosphere release mode (during sample collection) shown in Fig. 11(A), the vacuum pump mode (during sample collection) shown in Fig. 11(B), the cleaning liquid supply mode shown in Fig. 11(C), and the cleaning liquid stop mode (cleaning stop mode and ventilation stop mode) shown in Fig. 11(D).

<Cleaning method>
A method for cleaning the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 will be described with reference to Figs. 12 to 15. As described in the section <Operation of the sample collecting device> of the first embodiment, after a sample is collected underground by the sample collecting device 1, the sample collecting device 1 is moved to the ground 900. Then, as shown in Fig. 12(A), the sample collecting device 1 is set in the open-to-air mode and the open mode, and the plug portion 3 is moved upward in the axial direction A together with the shaft portion 40, and the sample is taken out from the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 to the container 800 through the introduction port 21. As a result, the sample falls naturally, and the sample is accumulated in the container 800 as shown in Fig. 11(B). At this time, as shown in Fig. 12(B), the remaining sample (hereinafter, the remaining sample) 700 is attached to the inner circumferential surface 23 inside the sample-side cylindrical body 20. The cleaning unit 10 cleans the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 to remove such remaining sample 700.

To clean the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20, first, an operation corresponding to the closed mode is performed on the opening/closing side operation unit 43. When the closed mode is entered, as shown in FIG. 13(A), the plug portion 3 moves downward in the axial direction A together with the shaft portion 40 to close the inlet 21. This makes the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 a closed space. When the opening/closing side detection unit 8 detects that the inlet 21 has been closed, the mode is switched to the opening/closing stop mode, and the operation of the piston 45 (shaft portion 40 and plug portion 3) is stopped (see FIG. 13(B)).

As described later, in this embodiment, when the cleaning side ventilation part 12 is in the cleaning liquid supply mode, it opens the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 to the outside space through the cleaning side switching valve 113 and the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C. For this reason, it is preferable that the ventilation side switching valve 61 is in the ventilation stop mode prior to the cleaning liquid supply mode, and the state in which the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is opened to the atmosphere through the ventilation side switching valve 61 is released. However, in the sense of creating a state in which the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is opened to the atmosphere, even if the cleaning side ventilation part 12 is not separately provided, the function of the cleaning side ventilation part 12 can be substituted by the atmosphere opening mode by the ventilation side switching valve 61 and the cleaning side ventilation pipe 60C. For this reason, if the cleaning side ventilation part 12 is not provided, the ventilation side switching valve 61 may continue to be in the atmosphere opening mode without switching to the ventilation stop mode at this timing.

Next, the cleaning operation is performed on the cleaning side operation unit 14 to set the cleaning unit 10 to the cleaning liquid supply mode. The sample collection device 1 may be configured so that when a cleaning operation is performed on the cleaning side operation unit 14, the opening/closing side operation unit 43 functioning as a control device receives a cleaning operation signal from the cleaning side operation unit 14 and enters the closed mode, even if the opening/closing side operation unit 43 does not have to be operated to operate the cleaning side operation unit 14 corresponding to the closed mode. In this case, in conjunction with the cleaning operation on the cleaning side operation unit 14, the shaft portion 40 moves downward in the axial direction A together with the stopper portion 3 to close the inlet 21. Similarly, the sample collection device 1 may be configured so that when a cleaning operation is performed on the cleaning side operation unit 14, the ventilation side operation unit 63 functioning as a control device receives a cleaning operation signal from the cleaning side operation unit 14 and enters the ventilation stop mode, even if the ventilation side operation unit 63 does not have to be operated to operate the closing mode. In this case, in conjunction with the cleaning operation on the cleaning side operation unit 14, the opening between the ports of the ventilation side switching valve 61 is blocked.

When the cleaning liquid supply mode is entered, the cleaning liquid supply unit 11 supplies cleaning liquid to the inside of the sample side cylinder 20. In this embodiment, when the cleaning liquid supply mode is entered, as shown in FIG. 13(B), the cleaning side switching valve 113 opens the cleaning liquid source side port 1130 and the cleaning liquid piping side port 1132, and switches to open the atmosphere release side port 1131 and the cleaning side vent piping side port 1133. As a result, the cleaning liquid source 111 and the cleaning liquid piping 112 are connected, and the vent piping 60 is opened to the external space on the ground through the cleaning side vent piping 60C. As a result, cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid source 111 through the cleaning liquid pipe 112 into the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20, causing water to accumulate inside the sample-side cylindrical body 20 (see the cleaning liquid surface 600 in FIG. 13(B)), and air equivalent to the amount of liquid that has flowed in is discharged from the inside of the sample-side cylindrical body 20 to the outside space through the ventilation pipe 60.

When the cleaning liquid supply mode is entered in this embodiment, a cleaning operation signal is received from the cleaning operation unit 14, and the vibration unit 13 operates to apply vibration to the sample-side cylinder 20, as shown in FIG. 13(B). This causes the sample-side cylinder 20 to vibrate, and the cleaning liquid stored inside the sample-side cylinder 20 also vibrates. As a result, the remaining sample 700 adhering to the inner circumferential surface 23 is peeled off from the inner circumferential surface 23 by the vibration force and is either dissolved in the cleaning liquid or suspended in the cleaning liquid (see FIG. 14(A)).

If the force of the cleaning liquid flowing from the cleaning liquid source 111 through the cleaning liquid pipe 112 into the inside of the sample side cylinder 20 is increased, the water pressure of the cleaning liquid can remove the remaining sample 700 adhering to the inner surface 23 of the sample side cylinder 20. Furthermore, if a spray adapter (not shown) having multiple spray nozzles facing each part of the inner surface 23 of the sample side cylinder 20 is provided on the liquid side connection part 20B, the cleaning liquid can be sprayed with high force onto each part of the inner surface 23 of the sample side cylinder 20. If a spray adapter is used, the remaining sample 700 adhering to the inner surface 23 of the sample side cylinder 20 can be efficiently removed. In this case, the vibration part 13 may or may not be present.

When the water level of the cleaning liquid based on the cleaning liquid height side reference position inside the sample side cylindrical body 20 reaches a predetermined threshold, it is detected by the cleaning liquid detection unit 15, and the notification unit 16 notifies the outside. This allows the operator to recognize that the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20 is full of cleaning liquid. In addition, when the cleaning liquid detection unit 15 or the pressure detection unit 17 detects that the cleaning liquid is filled, the cleaning side operation unit 14 as a control device transmits a cleaning liquid stop signal corresponding to the cleaning liquid stop mode to the cleaning liquid supply unit 11 (cleaning side switching valve 113). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14 (A), when the cleaning side switching valve 113 receives a cleaning liquid stop signal for the cleaning liquid stop mode, it switches to a state in which the cleaning liquid source side port 1130, the atmosphere release side port 1131, the cleaning liquid piping side port 1132, and the cleaning side ventilation piping side port 1133 are mutually blocked. As a result, no cleaning liquid is supplied to the inside of the sample-side cylinder 20. Furthermore, the inside of the sample-side cylinder 20 is isolated from the external space. On the other hand, even in the cleaning liquid stop mode, the vibration unit 13 continues to operate as shown in FIG. 14(A). When the sample-side cylinder 20 containing a sufficient amount of cleaning liquid for cleaning is vibrated, the remaining sample 700 attached to the inner surface 23 inside the sample-side cylinder 20 gradually peels off from the inner surface 23 and becomes dissolved in the cleaning liquid, or becomes suspended in the cleaning liquid.

After this continues for a predetermined time, as shown in FIG. 14(B), a cleaning stop operation is performed on the cleaning side operation unit 14 to switch to cleaning stop mode. The cleaning stop operation on the cleaning side operation unit 14 may be performed manually, but is not limited to this. In other words, a timer unit (not shown) may be provided, and when the timer unit detects that a preset time has elapsed, the cleaning side operation unit 14 as a control device may transmit a cleaning stop operation signal to the vibration unit 13, causing the vibration unit 13 to stop operating.

After that, as shown in FIG. 15(A), the container 800 is placed on the ground 900 directly below the inlet 21, and the opening/closing side operation unit 43 is operated in the open mode. When the open mode is selected, the plug portion 3 moves upward in the axial direction A together with the shaft portion 40 to open the inlet 21. Then, the cleaning liquid contained inside the sample side cylindrical body 20 flows into the inside of the container 800 together with the remaining sample 700 through the inlet 21. At this time, the cleaning liquid supply mode may be used in combination to supply new water for rinsing. As shown in FIG. 15(B), if the remaining sample 700 attached to the inner surface 23 inside the sample side cylindrical body 20 cannot be sufficiently removed by one cleaning operation, the cleaning operation may be repeated again. This cleans the inside of the sample side cylindrical body 20, and the sample can be collected again at another location.

The sample collection device 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Sampling device 2 Sample-side storage section 3 Plug section 4 Opening/closing section 5 Opening/closing side storage section 6 Ventilation section 7 Detection section 8 Opening/closing side detection section 9 Filling amount detection section 10 Cleaning section 11 Cleaning liquid supply section 12 Cleaning side ventilation section 13 Vibration section 14 Cleaning side operation section 15 Cleaning liquid detection section 16 Notification section 17 Pressure detection section 20 Sample-side cylindrical body 20A Ventilation side connection section 20B Liquid side connection section 21 Inlet 22 Internal space 23 Inner circumferential surface 24 Inner circumferential surface inclined region 25, 55 Central axis 26, 56 Plate-like body 30 Contact region 31 Opposing surface 32 Flexible region 33 Gap 40 Shaft section 41 Drive section 42 Protective section 43 Opening/closing side operation section 44 Guide section 45 Piston 46 Cylinder 46A Piston forward connection part 46B Piston backward connection part 47 Piston drive part 50 Opening/closing side cylindrical body 52 Storage space 60 Ventilating pipe 60A External side ventilating flow path 60B Internal side ventilating flow path 60C Branch pipe 61 Ventilating side switching valve 62 Vacuum pump 63 Ventilating side operation part 64 Vacuum pump side port 65 Atmospheric release side port 66 Ventilating pipe side port 111 Cleaning liquid source 112 Cleaning liquid pipe 113 Cleaning side switching valve 114 External side liquid flow path 115 Internal side liquid flow path 120 Multi-way valve 120 Foot protection part 130 Pile circumference fixing part 140 Gravel 440 Piston side through hole 441 Sample side through hole 470 Fluid supply part 471 Piston forward side pipe 472 Piston retraction side piping 473 Fluid source 474 Open/close side switching valve 475 Fluid source side port 476 Upper open side port 477 Piston advance side port 478 Piston retraction side port 910 Excavation hole 1000 Ground

Claims (3)

A sampling device for collecting samples from a borehole provided in the ground so as to extend in a vertical direction,
a cylindrical sample-side storage section having an inlet for introducing the sample, the inlet opening in the axial direction at a lower end of the sample-side storage section, the sample-side storage section being capable of storing the sample;
a plug portion capable of closing the inlet from the inside of the sample-side storage portion;
a shaft portion having the plug portion at a tip thereof and extending in the axial direction inside the sample-side accommodation portion;
a drive unit that is disposed on an upper end side of the sample-side housing unit and moves the stopper unit in the axial direction of the sample-side housing unit via the shaft unit to open and close the introduction port;
an open/close side detector that detects an open/close state of the introduction port based on an amount of movement of the shaft portion in the axial direction from a reference position in the sample-side accommodation portion;
The present invention is characterized in that it comprises
Sampling device. A sampling device for collecting samples from a borehole provided in the ground so as to extend in a vertical direction,
a cylindrical sample-side storage section having an inlet for introducing the sample, the inlet opening in the axial direction at a lower end of the sample-side storage section, the sample-side storage section being capable of storing the sample;
a plug portion capable of closing the inlet from the inside of the sample-side storage portion;
a shaft portion having the plug portion at a tip thereof and extending in the axial direction inside the sample-side accommodation portion;
a drive unit that is disposed on an upper end side of the sample-side housing unit and moves the stopper unit in the axial direction of the sample-side housing unit via the shaft unit to open and close the introduction port;
a fill amount detection unit that measures an amount of air exhausted from the sample-side accommodation unit to the outside and detects an amount of the sample filled in the sample-side accommodation unit based on the amount of air exhausted;
The present invention is characterized in that it comprises
Sampling device. A sampling device for collecting samples from a borehole provided in the ground so as to extend in a vertical direction,
a cylindrical sample-side storage section having an inlet for introducing the sample, the inlet opening in the axial direction at a lower end of the sample-side storage section, the sample-side storage section being capable of storing the sample;
a plug portion capable of closing the inlet from the inside of the sample-side storage portion;
a shaft portion having the plug portion at a tip thereof and extending in the axial direction inside the sample-side accommodation portion;
a drive unit that is disposed on an upper end side of the sample-side housing unit and moves the stopper unit in the axial direction of the sample-side housing unit via the shaft unit to open and close the introduction port;
a cleaning liquid supplying section for supplying a cleaning liquid to the inside of the sample-side storage section;
a cleaning-side ventilation section that opens the inside of the sample-side accommodation section to an external space;
a vibration unit for applying vibration to the sample-side accommodation unit;
The present invention is characterized in that it comprises
Sampling device.

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