JPH024060Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a container used for automatically collecting a liquid sample.

In the case of radioactive contamination accidents in reactor water at nuclear power generation facilities, it is necessary to sample the reactor water without manual intervention and analyze the degree of contamination of the sampled reactor water.

In cases like this case, where manual sampling is extremely dangerous or completely impossible, automated sample collection by a robot is necessary, but there are various liquid sample collection containers available on the market. Despite the fact that the cap is easy to attach and detach,
It is no exaggeration to say that in terms of seal reliability, strength, etc., there are none suitable for automatic sample collection by robots.

More specifically, in order to meet the demand for automatic collection by robots, the following conditions must be satisfied.

(b) The cap can be easily attached and detached automatically from the container body, and the cap can be attached and detached by a simple operation such as pressing the cap against the mouth of the container or pulling it against the mouth; (b) Screw-in type. If a cap has a threaded part, there is a risk that fluids that may be contaminated with radioactivity or other toxic substances may adhere to the threaded part, so a cap without a threaded part is required. Once fixed, the sealing performance of the cap should be maintained safely even if some shock is applied, such as when the container is accidentally dropped.

The basic aim of the invention is therefore to provide a liquid sample collection container that satisfies all of the above conditions.

For this reason, in the present invention, when the fitting tube, which supports a ball at the lower end that fits into the lock groove provided on the outer periphery of the mouth of the container, is fitted to the container mouth, A cap structure is adopted in which the ball is locked in the locking groove by an annular step provided on the locking outer cylinder that can be displaced within a range of 2 to 300 degrees, while the packing supported by a spring on the fitting cylinder is held against the container mouth by pressure. However, the cap can be fixed to the container mouth by pushing the fitting tube and the locking outer cylinder downward relative to the container mouth, and the cap can be removed by moving the locking outer cylinder relative to the container body. Its basic feature is that it can be easily carried out by pulling it upward.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a container body having a mouth 2 at the top and capable of accommodating liquid sample A inside, 3 is a container body that can be fixed by pressing against the container mouth 2 from above; It is a cap that can be removed by pulling upwards facing the mouth part 2.

An annular locking groove 4 is provided on the outer periphery of the container opening 2 one step below the upper end, and an abutment step 5 having a diameter one step larger than the outer periphery of the opening is formed one step below the locking groove 4. ing.

On the other hand, the lower end of the inner circumference of the cap 3 is connected to the container opening 2.
a fitting cylinder 6 that fits on the outer periphery of the fitting cylinder 6; a packing support 8 that is supported within the fitting cylinder 6 so as to be movable within a certain range and supports a packing 7 at the bottom;
A locking outer cylinder 9 that fits onto the outside of the fitting cylinder 6 so as to be able to be displaced within a certain range with respect to the fitting cylinder 6;
It basically consists of a cap cylinder 10 that fixes and supports the upper part of the cap and covers the entire upper part including the locking outer cylinder 9.

The above-mentioned fitting tube 6 has an upper thick small diameter portion 6a fixed to the top plate portion 10a of the cap tube 10 with bolts 11, . . . , 11, and a thick small diameter portion 6a and a collar portion 6
A lock ball 12 made of steel or the like and having a diameter larger than the wall thickness of the fitting cylinder part 6c can be fitted into the lock groove 4 of the container mouth part 2 at the lower end of the fitting cylinder part 6c extending downward through the fitting cylinder part 6c. It has a fitted structure that allows it to move in the radial direction.

The packing support 8 also includes a cap tube 10.
a support pin 13 that is movable between the top plate 10a and the inward rib 6d of the collar portion 6b of the fitting tube 6;
It is fixed by the lower end bolt 14 of the support pin 13,
It consists of a packing support plate 15 which has an annular rib 15a integrally formed on the outer circumference, which is slidably fitted to the inner circumference of the fitting cylinder part 6c of the fitting cylinder 6, and the packing support plate 15 has an annular rib 15a integrally formed on the outer circumference. The fitting tube 6 is constantly urged downward by a coil spring 16 compressed to surround the support pin 13 between the fitting tube 6 and the support pin 15 .

Note that the fitting locking portion 15 of the packing support plate 15
It is preferable that the outer edge of the lower surface of the packing 7 that fits and supports b is formed as a sloped part 7a, and that the inner peripheral corner part 2a of the upper edge of the container mouth part 2 is bitten into the sloped part 7a to enhance the sealing performance. .

On the other hand, the locking outer cylinder 9 has an outer cylinder main body 9a that is slidably fitted into the large-diameter collar portion 6b of the fitting cylinder 6.
An annular lock stepped portion 9b that slidably fits into the fitting cylinder portion 6c is provided at the lower part of the locking outer cylinder 9. A structure is provided in which a slope 9c is provided that pushes radially inward when pushed in, and a tension step 9d is provided on the outer periphery of the outer cylinder main body 9a, which is always located below the lower edge of the cylindrical portion 10b of the cap cylinder 10. It is constantly biased downward by a coil spring 17 compressed between the large diameter collar portion 6b of the fitting tube 6 and the lock step portion 9b of the locking outer tube 9, and its downward displacement The locking ring 18 fitted on the inner periphery of the upper end of the outer cylinder main body 9a is attached to the large diameter collar portion 6.
It is regulated by hitting b.

The operation of attaching and detaching the cap 3 to and from the opening 2 of the container body 1 having the above structure will now be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cap 3 is connected to the container body 1.
When separated from the packing support 8, the head of the support pin 13 is locked to the inward rib 6d, and the packing support 8 is urged downward by the coil spring 16, and the locking outer cylinder 9 is , the outer peripheral rib 15a of the packing support plate 15 of the packing support 8
Lock ball 1 held outwardly by
2 prevents further descent, and only the packing 7 is in a state of slightly protruding downward.

Now, from this state, if you push down the cap tube 10 toward the mouth 2 of the container body 1, or push the container body 1 upward against the cap 3,
As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 3 is fixed to the opening 2 of the container body 1.

That is, when the cap 3 as a whole is pressed against the opening 2 of the container body 1, the packing 7 first presses against the opening 2 of the container body 1.
The fitting cylinder 6 is pressed down against the spring force of the coil spring 16 to fit into the outer periphery of the opening 2, and the lock ball 12
In the state in which the locking groove 4 is fitted into the locking groove 4, the lower edge is stopped by the stopper step 5, and further depression is prevented. In this state, the locking ball 12 is pushed inward by the sloped portion 9c of the locking outer cylinder 9 so as to fit into the locking groove 4, and the falling of the locking ball 12 causes the locking outer cylinder 9 to lock into the coil. Due to the spring force of the spring 17, the locking ring 18 is lowered relative to the fitting tube 6 until it comes into contact with the large diameter collar portion 6b, and the locking ball 12 is fitted into the locking groove 4 from the outside by the locking step portion 9b. Lock it in the same position. By locking the lock ball 12, the cap 3 is irremovably fixed to the mouth 2 of the container body 1, and the packing 7 is tightly attached to the upper edge of the mouth 2 due to the strong spring force of the coil spring 16. completely sealed from the outside.

In order to remove the cap 3 from the state shown in FIG. 2, the outer circumferential stepped portion 9d of the locking outer cylinder 9 may be pulled upward.

With this pulling up, the locking outer cylinder 9 first moves into the fitting cylinder 6.
The fitting cylinder 6 is lifted up against the packing support 8 and released from the lock ball 12. Along with this release, the fitting tube 6 is lifted upward against the packing support 8 by the spring force of the coil spring 16, and the lock ball 12 is lifted up against the packing support 8. 12 is removed from the lock groove 4, and finally becomes the state shown in FIG.

As is clear from the above description, the present invention involves the action of pressing the packing against the container mouth, fitting the ball supported by the fitting cylinder into the locking groove provided on the outer periphery of the mouth, and then locking the ball by the locking outer cylinder. To provide a liquid sample collection container in which the cap is fixed irremovably by locking, and by pulling up a locking outer cylinder, the lock is released and the cap is released from the mouth part.

According to the present invention, the cap can be fixed without using screws, and when it is fixed, the ball that fits into the lock groove is locked, so the cap will not come off easily and the sealing performance will be improved. can be completely maintained, and the cap can be attached and detached by a very simple operation of pushing or pulling, and therefore a collection container suitable for automatic collection by a robot or the like can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are vertical cross-sectional views showing the structure of the collection container according to the present invention, with FIG. 1 showing the cap when it is separated, and FIG. 2 showing the cap when it is fixed. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Container body, 2... Mouth, 4... Locking groove, 5... Stop step, 6... Fitting cylinder, 7... Packing, 8... Packing support, 9... For locking Outer tube, 10... Cap tube, 12... Ball.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The container body has a locking groove and a step part located at the lower stage of the locking groove and having a diameter one step larger than the outer circumference of the opening on the outer periphery of the opening, and a container body that fits on the outer periphery of the opening and has a locking groove on the lower part. A fitting cylinder is provided with a ball to be fitted, and the lower end is stopped against the stop step at the position where the ball fits into the locking groove, and a punching that seals the upper part of the mouth from the outside is attached to the fitting cylinder. A packing support that is supported so that it can be displaced within a certain range relative to each other and is normally biased downwardly by a spring against the fitting tube, and a packing support that is displaceable within a certain range relative to the fitting tube on the outer periphery of the fitting tube. A locking outside that can be fitted easily, is biased downward by a spring against the fitting cylinder, and has an annular stepped portion at the lower end of the inner periphery that pushes the ball of the fitting cylinder from the outside and locks it in the locking groove. The container cap includes at least a cylinder and a cap cylinder to which the upper part of the fitting cylinder is fixed to the top plate part and the locking outer cylinder is movably fitted from the outside. By pushing down the ball, the ball is locked into the locking groove and the container cap is fixed to the mouth of the container body, and by pulling the locking outer cylinder upward, the container cap can be removed from the mouth of the container body. A liquid sample collection container characterized by: