JPH0588102B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention provides a method for fermentation or wastewater treatment using microorganisms, in which the microorganisms are immersed in a container containing the microorganisms. This invention relates to an automatic observation device for microorganisms in liquid that observes their condition.

[Conventional technology]

Processes that utilize microorganisms to produce useful substances and decompose and remove pollutants in industrial wastewater are widely used in the fields of fermentation, sewage, and industrial wastewater treatment; It is relatively difficult to efficiently control the function of , and it cannot be said that a sufficient control method has been established yet.

In particular, accurately understanding the status of microorganisms in a process, which changes from moment to moment, is extremely useful information for determining the progress of a process, but there has been no effective means for this in the past. , methods have been used to estimate the state of microorganisms in the process by sampling the microbial mixture in the process, measuring its dry weight, or preparing a preparation and observing it under a microscope to obtain information.

However, these methods require a long time to obtain information, and the state of microbial aggregation due to sampling may differ from that in the process, making it difficult to accurately determine the internal state.
The information was extremely insufficient for online control.

For this reason, in recent years, the state of microorganisms inside the process has been extracted directly as an optical image, and this optical information has been converted into an electrical signal.
Techniques have become available that attempt to generate necessary information by processing images using image analysis processing devices and computers.

A number of underwater immersion type automatic observation devices necessary for this purpose have already begun to be seen, including Utility Model Publication No. 61-35280, but even though these are underwater immersion type, the sample chamber is of a fixed size. In order to facilitate the introduction and evacuation of microorganisms into the sample chamber, the sample needs to be several millimeters thick, making it difficult to focus when observing with an optical device. Because the resolution is low and the magnification cannot be increased very high, there are limits to obtaining detailed information about the state of microorganisms.
It is insufficient (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-6143, Jikosho
61-35280, Jitsukai 60-108394).

Since it does not have a mechanism to clean the microorganism observation surface, the image deteriorates in a short period of time due to slime from microorganisms and algae.
−6143).

Even if it has a cleaning mechanism, sufficient information cannot be obtained for the following reasons (Kokoku Sho 61-35280).

In order to increase the magnification and obtain high-resolution information, we installed a means to sample the microbial mixture from inside the process, fix the test liquid in the middle of the liquid passage pipe, and observe it. A system has also been published in which the tract can be cleaned with a cleaning solution containing chemicals, etc. (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-244279).
Since the test water is sampled from inside the process using a pump, etc., information on the density, which is important for determining the state of microorganisms, is unreliable, and if the distance between the test water tank and the observation point is too long, oxygen deficiency may occur. This poses some drawbacks, such as restrictions on installation locations and observation methods, as abnormalities occur in the conditions of protozoa and bacteria.

As described above, all of the conventionally published techniques have difficulties in obtaining highly reliable information, and there is a need for an apparatus that can more precisely and accurately observe microorganism images.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In contrast, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, such as low magnification, low resolution, slime adhesion, and restrictions on installation location and method. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic underwater microorganism observation device that can obtain clear images of microorganisms and is easy to install and handle.

[Means for solving problems]

As a specific means adopted by the present invention for this purpose, a sample chamber with an observation window provided on the side wall that communicates with the outside of the container through a water conduit is provided in a waterproof container that can be immersed in water. An optical image enlarging device and an industrial television camera connected thereto are disposed in the waterproof container on the window side toward the observation window, and an optical image enlarging device and an industrial television camera connected thereto are disposed in the waterproof container facing the observation window. A lighting device, a light guide passage from the lighting device, and a light condensing device are arranged in the waterproof container,
The light guide passage and the light condensing device are movable toward the observation window by a first drive device housed in the waterproof container, and the space between the tip of the light condensing device and the observation window is an underwater microorganism photographing device capable of fixing a sample introduced through the water conduit;
a wiper in contact with the inner wall of the sample chamber; one end connected to the wiper and disposed in the axial direction of the sample chamber; and the other end driven by a second drive device housed in the container. a hollow shaft movable within the sample chamber, the hollow shaft being disposed so as to be able to supply a cleaning agent into the sample chamber via the hollow shaft; A control device for controlling the operations of the underwater microorganism imaging device and the sample chamber cleaning device, and a video signal processing device for processing video signals from the underwater microorganism imaging device. An automatic underwater microorganism observation device that can use a liquid containing at least one of water, air, detergent, caustic soda, sodium hypochlorite, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide as the cleaning agent. It is.

〔Example〕

The effects of the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to Examples. FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention. To explain the mechanism of action in detail with reference to FIG. 1, a sample chamber 2 that communicates with the outside of the container through a water conduit is provided in a waterproof container 1 that can be immersed in water.
to observe the microbial mixture introduced into the
optical image enlarging device 3, industrial television camera 4,
An illumination device 5, a light guide path 6, a light condensing device 7, a first drive device A for driving the light guide path and the light condensing device, a hollow shaft 10 with a wiper 9 attached in close contact with the inner wall of the sample chamber 2. The waterproof container 1 is suspended by a support rod 8 and can be immersed in the water to be observed.

A hollow shaft 10 is connected to the driving device B, and a hollow shaft 10 is attached to the tip thereof with a wiper 9 that is brought into close contact with the wall of the sample chamber. It is now movable. When the microbial mixture is introduced into the sample chamber 2 through the strainer 11 by retracting the hollow shaft 10 and the wiper 9,
The driving device A works to push out the light guide passage 6 and the light condenser 7 into the sample chamber, and fix the liquid mixture in the micro space between the observation window 12 and the glass plate 22 attached to the tip of the light condenser 7. The building now serves as an observation room. The thickness d (Fig. 3A) of this minute space is determined in advance by 10 mm depending on the image magnification magnification.
The glass plate is attached so that the thickness is about 100μ.

At this time, the light source 5 and the light guide passage 6 are installed so that the optical axis from the light source 5 coincides with the central axis of the light guide passage 6. The location is determined. (Second
(Figure B) The moving distance of the light guide path 6 and the light condensing device is
The driving device A is controlled to bring the tip 23 of the condensing device (FIG. 3A) into close contact with the opposite wall of the sample chamber. In order to prevent damage to the strainer, a method is adopted in which the opening of the strainer is made as small as possible, but on the other hand, if the strainer is not to be clogged due to the opening being made small, pressure is detected at the tip of the condensing device. A sensor 24 is attached to the glass plate 21 (Fig. 3B), and when the sensor detects pressure when it is pressed against the glass plate 21, the drive device is stopped based on the pressure detection signal and the sample is fixed. Also good. In this case, if a foreign object is caught between the light condensing device and the glass plate and no signal is obtained from the pressure sensor even after a predetermined period of time has passed, it is assumed that sample fixation has failed, and the drive device will be restored to its initial state and fixed again.

This method is effective when the present invention is applied to sewage treatment processes where contamination of foreign substances is expected.

The focus of the optical image enlarging device 3 is adjusted in advance to be at the position of the fixed microbial mixture, and the fixed microbial image is focused on the optical image enlarging device 3.
The image can be enlarged and imaged by the photographing device 4.

The photographed microorganism image is sent to the information processing device 1 as an electric signal via the photographing control device 15 shown in FIG.
6 and undergoes the necessary information processing.

The magnification of the microorganism image by the optical image enlarging device 3 can be arbitrarily selected depending on the type of microorganism to be observed and the quality and quantity of information required, but in the case of observation of activated sludge microorganisms, , it is best to use a magnification of about 100 to 400 times to imitate normal microscopic observation.

When the microbial image has been captured, drive device A
is activated, the light guide passage 6 and the condensing device 7 are moved back, and then the drive device B is activated to advance the hollow shaft 10 and the wiper 9 to push the microorganism mixture inside the sample chamber 2 to the outside.

At this time, this may be performed while introducing the cleaning agent through the hollow shaft 10, or the cleaning agent may be introduced in advance and then the sample may be pushed out. Further, it is optional to repeat this as necessary. For example, the introduction of cleaning agent
As shown in the figure, fresh water or a liquid containing a drug may be sent through a pump 14 and a hollow shaft 10 shown in FIG.
Its operation is controlled by

By performing the above series of operations, it becomes possible to automatically capture and observe images representing the state of microorganisms in the liquid.

By repeating these operations at arbitrary intervals as necessary, changes in the state of microorganisms in the liquid can be tracked.

The obtained image information of microorganisms can be processed into various information depending on the purpose. For example, in the case of activated sludge microorganisms, this includes determining the density of activated sludge flocs, identifying the type and amount of filamentous fungi, and identifying the type and amount of protozoa. These processed information can of course be recorded as management information of the target microbial process, and can also be sent to the process control device 21 as shown in FIG. 4 and used for automatic control of the microbial process.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The features of the underwater microorganism automatic observation device according to the present invention described above are as follows.

(1) Since it is immersed in water, the condition of target microorganisms can be ascertained as they are.

(2) Introducing and discharging the sample is done through a drive device, hollow shaft, and wiper, so it is reliable and accurate.

(3) When discharging the sample, the width of the sample chamber is 10 mm.
Because of its size and width, cleaning and discharging operations are reliable.
No blockage problems due to foreign matter occur.

(4) When observing a sample, the microbial mixture forms a thin layer and is fixed, so a clear microbial image with high resolution can be obtained even at high magnification.

(5) The movement of drive devices A and B can be freely controlled from the outside via a control device.

By using the underwater microorganism automatic observation device of the present invention that has these features, it becomes possible to automatically observe the state of microorganisms in the microorganism utilization process online at any time, which was previously impossible to observe accurately and sufficiently. Furthermore, by arbitrarily processing and utilizing observation information, it becomes possible to effectively control and operate the microorganism utilization process.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the main parts for explaining the underwater microorganism automatic observation device of the present invention, Figure 2A and Figure 2.
Figure B is a schematic diagram showing the situation during observation and non-observation, Figures 3A and 3B are structural diagrams of the tip of the condensing device,
FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram for explaining an example of an embodiment including a control system. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Waterproof container, 2...Sample chamber, 3...Optical image enlarger, 4...Industrial TV camera, 5...Lighting device, 6...Light guide path, 7...Light condensing device, 8...Support rod, 9...Wiper , 10... hollow shaft, 11... strainer, 13... microorganism storage container, 14... cleaning agent supply pump, 15... control device, 16... information processing device,
17... Image processing calculation device, 18... Color display, 19... Keyboard, 20... Printing device, 21
...Process control device, 22...Glass plate, 24...Pressure detection sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A sample chamber with an observation window on the side wall that communicates with the outside of the container through a water conduit is provided in a waterproof container that can be immersed in water, and a sample chamber is provided inside the waterproof container on the side of the observation window. An optical image enlarging device and an industrial television camera connected thereto are disposed in close proximity to the observation window, and a lighting device is provided in the waterproof container facing the optical image enlarging device of the observation window. and a light guide path and a light collecting device from the lighting device,
The light guide passage and the light condensing device are movable toward the observation window by a first drive device housed in the waterproof container, and the space between the tip of the light condensing device and the observation window is an underwater microorganism photographing device capable of fixing a sample introduced through the water conduit;
a wiper in contact with the inner wall of the sample chamber; one end connected to the wiper and disposed in the axial direction of the sample chamber; and the other end driven by a second drive device housed in the container. a hollow shaft movable within the sample chamber, the hollow shaft being disposed so as to be able to supply a cleaning agent into the sample chamber via the hollow shaft; A control device for controlling the operations of the underwater microorganism imaging device and the sample chamber cleaning device, and a video signal processing device for processing video signals from the underwater microorganism imaging device. Automatic underwater microbial observation device. 2. The underwater microorganism automatic observation device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent is water and/or air. 3. The underwater microorganism automatic observation device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent is a liquid containing at least one of detergent, caustic soda, sodium hypochlorite, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide. 4. The underwater microorganism automatic observation device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein a sensor for detecting pressure is attached to the tip of the condensing device.