JPH1048195A - Elemental analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elemental analyzer in which a sample can be added safely and surely and whose safety is excellent. SOLUTION: In an elemental analyzer, a turntable 4 used to hold a plurality of crucibles 10 in which samples are housed, a conveyance robot 5 by which every crucible 10 held by the turntable 4 is carried into a combustion furnace 6 in an analysis and by which every crucible 10 is carred out from the combustion furnace 6 after the finish of the analysis and the combustion furnace 6 in which every crucible 10 is housed and which burns the sample inside every crucible 10 are installed in this order on the front side of an analyzer body 1. In the elemental analyzer, even when an auxiliary cover 29 which covers mainly the turntable 4 is moved in an open direction, a main cover 28 which mainly covers the conveyance robot is maintained in a closed state, and the drive of the turntable 4 is stopped when the movement in the open direction of the auxiliary cover 29 is detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for analyzing elements such as carbon and sulfur contained in a sample such as a metal and a ceramic.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a carbon / sulfur analyzer as one of devices for analyzing the concentration (amount) of elements such as carbon and sulfur contained in a sample such as steel and ceramics. This carbon / sulfur analyzer burns an analysis sample by high frequency induction heating to generate an oxidizing (combustion) gas, and analyzes the oxidizing gas by an infrared absorption method.

[0003] In one of the carbon / sulfur analyzers, a turntable for holding a plurality of magnetic crucibles (hereinafter simply referred to as crucibles) accommodating an analysis sample is provided on the front side of the main body of the device. The crucible held in the analysis is carried into the combustion furnace at the time of analysis, and the crucible is transported out of the combustion furnace at the end of the analysis. In some cases, a combustion furnace for burning is provided in this order, and a main cover and an auxiliary cover for covering the turntable and the transfer robot are provided on the front surface of the turntable and the transfer robot so as to be freely opened and closed.

[0004] In the carbon / sulfur analyzer having the above structure, the turntable and the transfer robot are covered by the main cover and the auxiliary cover, respectively, so that the turntable and the transfer robot adhere to the turntable and the dust and the like are contained in the crucible held by the turntable. Foreign matter is prevented from entering, and the foreign matter is prevented from adhering to the transfer robot, especially in the vicinity of the clamping portion, and entering the crucible being clamped.

[0005]

However, since the two covers have a significant meaning as protective covers and their operations are not associated with each other, the operation of the transfer robot is stopped even when the auxiliary cover is opened. Therefore, even when the auxiliary cover was opened and a crucible containing a sample was added, the transfer robot was moving.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned matters, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly safe element analyzer capable of safely and reliably adding a sample.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a turntable for holding a plurality of crucibles accommodating a sample and a crucible held on the turntable are provided on the front side of the apparatus body. A transfer robot that carries the crucible into the combustion furnace at the time of analysis and carries out the crucible from the combustion furnace at the end of the analysis, and a combustion furnace that houses the crucible and burns the sample in the crucible are provided in this order, and the turntable and the transfer table are provided. In an element analyzer in which a main cover and an auxiliary cover are openably and closably provided on the front of the robot so as to cover them, even if the auxiliary cover can be moved in the opening direction,
The main cover maintains the closed state, and stops driving the turntable based on the detection of the movement of the auxiliary cover in the opening direction.

With this configuration, even if the auxiliary cover is opened for adding a sample. Since the main cover maintains the closed state, the hand of the operator or the like is prevented from touching the transfer robot which is a movable part. Further, even when the turntable is rotating, the drive of the turntable is stopped by the operation of the auxiliary cover in the opening direction, so that the additional crucible is securely and safely set on the turntable. be able to.

In this case, the auxiliary cover may be moved in the opening direction with the movement of the main cover in the opening direction.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the entirety of a carbon / sulfur analyzer as an elemental analyzer according to the present invention.
Shows a main part of the carbon / sulfur analyzer.
In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body, and a front processing unit 2, an automation operation unit 3, a turntable 4,
The transfer robot 5 and the combustion furnace 6 are arranged in this order.
Although not shown, for example, a non-dispersive infrared gas analyzer (NDIR) is mounted on the apparatus main body 1. The apparatus main body is connected to a control device (not shown) via a signal cable (not shown).

The pre-processing section 2 pre-processes the oxidizing gas (combustion gas) generated in the combustion furnace 6, and the oxidizing gas passing therethrough is sent to the NDIR. In addition, the automation operation unit 3
Is provided with a plurality of operation buttons 7 for performing automatic analysis.

The turntable 4 is fixed, for example, to the upper end of a shaft 9 directly connected to a stepping motor 8, and is turned, for example, clockwise to accommodate a sample to be analyzed and a crucible containing a combustion aid. A plurality (for example, 20) of holding holes 11 for inserting and holding the 10 are provided along the circumference. Reference numeral 12 denotes a table indexing mechanism,
And a photosensor 15 having a groove 13 formed at a position corresponding to the holding hole 11. 16
The crucible lifting mechanism for lifting the crucible 10 includes, for example, an air cylinder 17 and a plunger member 18 and is provided at an appropriate position below the turntable 4 and on the downstream side in the rotation direction.

The transfer robot 5 is made of, for example, a magic hand, and has a holding portion 1 for holding a crucible 10 at a tip end.
9, the crucible 10 held by the turntable 4 is carried into the combustion furnace 6 at the time of analysis by being operated in the vertical direction and the rotation direction by the drive mechanism 20, and the crucible 10 is carried out of the combustion furnace 6 at the end of the analysis. It is configured to be. Reference numeral 21 denotes a duct for discarding the crucible 10 after the analysis, and a discard box 22 is provided below the duct. Reference numeral 23 denotes a transfer robot 5 where the crucible 10
Is a sensor for detecting whether or not it has arrived at the discard position.

The combustion furnace 6 includes an upper flange 24 for applying a high-frequency electric force and a lower flange 2 for holding the crucible 10.
5 and the lower flange 25 is an air cylinder 26
Is configured to be able to move up and down.
Then, with the crucible 10 containing the sample to be carried in by the transfer robot 5 set on the crucible base 25a of the lower flange 25, the lower flange 25 is raised and the crucible 1
0 is inserted into the coil 24a of the upper flange 24, and a high-frequency voltage is applied to the coil 24a in this state, whereby the sample in the crucible 10 generates heat and burns. The gas generated by this combustion flows through a gas flow path (not shown) by an appropriate carrier gas and is guided to the pre-processing unit 2, where it is subjected to appropriate processing, and then guided to the NDIR, where it is subjected to gas analysis. Offered. 27 is a sensor for detecting whether the crucible 10 is on the crucible stand 25a. Although not shown, the combustion furnace 6 is provided with a shutter for completely shutting off the inside from the outside air.

The configuration described so far is no different from the conventional carbon / sulfur analyzer. The major characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1 and FIG.
0 is the first, second, and third covers, and the first cover 28 is
It can be called a main cover, so to speak, the transfer robot 5
Is provided so as to cover the entirety of the turntable 4 and a part of the turntable 4, and the second cover 29 is to be referred to as an auxiliary cover for adding a sample, so as to cover most of the turntable 4. The third cover 30 is also referred to as a combustion furnace cover, and is provided so as to correspond to the combustion furnace 6.
These covers 28, 29, 30 are made of a relatively durable and transparent material, for example, resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate.

First, the structure of the first cover (main cover) 28 and the structure in the vicinity thereof will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6, the first cover 28 has a horizontal top plate 31. A front plate portion 32 bent downward at a substantially right angle from a front end portion thereof, and a top plate portion 47 of the second cover 29.
Below (to be described later), it protrudes toward the turntable 4 and includes a protruding portion 33 having a crank shape (see FIG. 3) in front sectional view and a trapezoidal shape (see FIG. 6) in plan view. Is open. 33a is a top plate of the protrusion 33, and 33b is a side wall. Reference numeral 34 denotes a bent portion which is formed by bending the lower end of the front plate portion 32 horizontally inward, bending it downward at a right angle, and further horizontally bending it inward.
A hole 36 having an appropriate diameter is formed in the lower horizontal portion 35 of the base 4. The first cover 28 is provided with a hinge 38 provided at an end of the top plate portion 31, and a shaft 38, which is laterally provided in the left-right direction.
And swings up and down as shown by a double arrow 39 in FIGS.

In FIGS. 3, 4 and 6,
Reference numeral 40 denotes a cover lock mechanism for holding the closed state of the first cover 28. The cover lock mechanism 40 includes a pin 41 for inserting the hole 36 and a solenoid 42 for vertically moving the pin 41, and is provided on the back side of the front plate 43 of the apparatus main body 1. Have been. The cover lock mechanism 40 is controlled so that the locked state is released only when the transfer robot 5 is at a predetermined position near the combustion furnace 6.

In FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG.
Reference numeral 4 denotes, for example, a limit switch for detecting the movement of the first cover 28 in the opening direction, and reference numeral 45 denotes its actuator. The limit switch 44 operates as follows. That is, when the first cover 28 is in the closed state as shown by the solid line in FIG.
The actuator 45 is pressed by the pressing piece 46 provided on the hinge 37 side of the actuator 8, the limit switch 44 is turned on, and the power supply for driving the transfer robot 5 is turned on. Further, when the first cover 28 moves in the opening direction (upward) from the closed state to release the pressing of the pressing piece 46 against the actuator 45, the limit switch 44 is turned off, whereby the transfer robot 5 is turned off.
Drive stops. In this case, the driving power supply may be turned off.

Next, the configuration of the second cover (auxiliary cover) 29 and the configuration in the vicinity thereof will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 5 and 6, the cover 29 includes a horizontal top plate portion 47, a front plate portion 48 bent substantially perpendicularly downward from the front end thereof, and the turntable 4. And a side plate 49 that hangs away from the turntable 4, and the rear, lower and turntable 4 sides are open. Reference numeral 50 denotes a bent portion obtained by bending the lower end of the front plate portion 48 horizontally inward, bending it downward at a right angle, and further horizontally bending it inward. The second cover 29 is pivotally supported by a shaft 52 provided horizontally in the left-right direction by a hinge 51 provided at an end of the top plate portion 47, and swings as shown by a double arrow 53 in FIG.

Then, in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG.
Reference numeral 54 denotes, for example, a limit switch for detecting movement of the second cover 29 in the opening direction, and reference numeral 55 denotes an actuator thereof. The limit switch 54 operates as follows. That is, when the second cover 29 is in the closed state as shown by a solid line in FIG. 5, the actuator 55 is pressed by the pressing piece 56 provided on the hinge side of the second cover 29, and the limit switch 54 is turned on. Then, the power supply for driving the turntable 4 is turned on. Further, when the pressing of the pressing piece 56 against the actuator 55 is released by the movement of the second cover 29 in the opening direction from the closed state, the limit switch 54 is turned off, thereby driving the turntable 4. Stop. In this case, the driving power supply may be turned off.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second cover 29
The projecting portion 33 of the first cover 28 projects below the top plate 47 of the first cover 28 and the second cover 2.
When the first cover 28 is moved in the opening direction when both the members 9 are in the closed state, the second cover 29 also moves in the opening direction with this movement.
The cover 28 does not move in the opening direction.

Further, a third cover (combustion furnace cover) 30
The third cover 30 is connected to a front plate portion 57 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the front plate portion 57 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 6 and 7. It is composed of a bent side plate portion 58, a top plate portion 59 having an L shape in plan view, and a bottom plate 60 having an L shape in plan view. 61
A bent portion as a pressing portion is formed by bending an end of the front plate portion 57 on the first cover 28 side rearward at a right angle. The third cover 30 is removably attached to the apparatus main body 1 via a hinge 62 provided at the end of the side plate portion 58 in a vertical direction. As shown by a double arrow 63 in FIGS.
Swing right and left around a vertical axis.

In FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7, reference numeral 64 denotes a limit switch for detecting the movement of the third cover 30 in the opening direction, and reference numeral 65 denotes its actuator. The limit switch 64 operates as follows. That is, when the third cover 30 is
In the closed state as shown by the solid line in FIG.
When the actuator 65 is pressed by the pressing portion 61 on the free end side of the front plate portion 57 of the cover 30, the limit switch 6 is pressed.
4 is turned on, and the power supply for driving the transfer robot 5 is turned on. When the third cover 30 moves in the opening direction from the closed state to release the pressing of the pressing portion 61 against the actuator 65, the limit switch 64 is released.
Is turned off, whereby the driving of the transfer robot 5 is stopped. In this case, the driving power supply may be turned off.

Reference numeral 66 denotes a manual lock mechanism for holding the third cover 30 when the third cover 30 is in a closed state. The lock mechanism 66 slides in the left-right direction, and includes a slide member 68 having a knob 67 and a slide guide 69 thereof. An appropriate hole (not shown) formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 60 and having one end of the slide member 68 formed on the front surface of the apparatus main body 1.
To lock the closed state of the third cover 30.

The operation of the carbon / sulfur analyzer configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the operation of the carbon / sulfur analyzer is performed by an operator operation (S1 to S
5) and device operation (S6 to S1) in which the device automatically performs various operations when the operator presses an automatic switch.
0).

First, the operator operation (S1 to S5) will be described. A plurality of crucibles 10 which have been subjected to a degassing process in advance are prepared. Then, the sample is weighed (step S
1) Put in the crucible 10 and put an appropriate combustion aid into the crucible 10 (step S2). The crucible 10 containing the sample and the auxiliary agent is sequentially inserted into the holding hole 11 of the turntable 4 to set the crucible 10 on the turntable 4 (step S3), and the setting of the predetermined number of crucibles 10 is completed (step S3). S4), the respective covers 28 to 30 are closed, and an appropriate automatic switch of the automation operation unit 3 is turned on (step S5). Then, the manual lock mechanism 66
To lock the closed state of the third cover 30.

When the cover closing switch of the automation operation unit 3 is turned on, the solenoid 42 operates to move the pin 41 upward, and the pin 41 is moved to the bent portion 34 of the front plate 32 of the first cover 28. Since the formed hole 36 is inserted, the closed state of the first cover 28 is locked (step S6).

When the closing of the first cover 28 is locked,
The transfer robot 5 waiting at the home position rotates in the direction of the turntable 4. In the turntable 4, the crucible 10 held at the most downstream in the rotation direction is
The crucible 10 is pushed up by the crucible lifting mechanism 16, and the transfer robot 5 holds the crucible 10 by the holding portion 19. Then, the transfer robot 5 transfers the crucible 10 while rotating in the direction of the combustion furnace 6 (Step S).
7) When this is placed at a predetermined position on the crucible table 25a, it returns to the home position.

The lower flange 2 is operated by operating the cylinder 26.
5, the crucible 10 is inserted into the coil 24a of the upper flange 24 in a predetermined state (step S8), and the combustion furnace 6 is closed to the outside by a shutter (not shown). .

When a high-frequency voltage is applied to the coil 24a while the crucible 10 is housed in the coil 24a, the sample in the crucible 10 generates heat and burns. The gas generated by this combustion is guided to the pre-processing unit 2 by an appropriate carrier gas, and after being subjected to an appropriate process, the NDI
By being led to R, a predetermined gas analysis is performed (step S9).

As described above, when the analysis of the sample in one crucible 10 is completed, the lower flange 25 descends, and the used crucible 10 appears while being held by the crucible base 25a. Then, the transfer robot 5 waiting at the home position rotates in the direction of the combustion furnace 6, holds the crucible 10 by the holding portion 19, rotates slightly in the direction of the turntable 4, and disposes the crucible 10 at the disposal position. , The crucible 10 is released, and returns to the home position again. The released used crucible 1
0 is stored in the disposal box 22 via the duct 21 (step S10).

The operations from step S7 to step S10 are performed in a stepwise manner, so that the turntable 4
Can be analyzed for all the crucibles 10 held in the crucible. When the analysis has been completed for all the crucibles 10, the appropriate automatic switch of the automation operation unit 3 is turned on, and when the automation operation is released, the transfer robot 5
Returns to a predetermined position on the combustion furnace 6 side, and the cover lock mechanism 4
0 releases the locked state. Therefore, in this state, the first cover 28 can be freely opened and closed.

As will be understood from the above description, at the time of automatic transfer, the closed state of the first cover 28 provided mainly to the transfer robot 5 which is a movable object is held by the cover lock mechanism 40. , It cannot be opened carelessly.

The cover lock mechanism 40 is controlled so that the locked state is released only when the transfer robot 5 is at a predetermined position close to the combustion furnace 6, so that the first cover 28 is opened. At this time, the transport robot 5 is in a predetermined storage state, does not hinder the work by the operator's hand, and the operator's safety is sufficiently ensured.

When the first cover 28 is in the closed state and is forced to open and is moved in the opening direction, the first cover 28 is provided on the hinge 37 side of the first cover 28 by this movement. Since the pressing of the pressing piece 46 against the actuator 45 is released, the limit switch 44 is turned off, whereby the driving of the transfer robot 5 is stopped, and the operation of the transfer robot 5 is immediately stopped. Even if an operator inserts his hand in the direction of the transfer robot 5, the safety is sufficiently ensured.

Further, when the first cover 28 is moved in the opening direction while the cover lock mechanism 40 is unlocked, the second cover 29 also moves in the opening direction. Therefore, when a new crucible 10 is placed on the turntable 4 for the next analysis, the second cover 29 can be opened at the same time by one operation such as opening the first cover 28. The opening operation of the second cover 28 and the second cover 29 can be performed reasonably and easily.

Incidentally, in the above-mentioned carbon / sulfur analyzer, there is a case where it is desired to add a sample to the turntable 4 during the automatic operation and to use the sample for analysis. That is, when a predetermined number of crucibles 10 are placed on the turntable 4 and the automatic operation button is turned on to perform the automatic operation, as shown in FIG. Is placed on the turntable 4 and this crucible 10A
In some cases, analysis may be performed on the sample described above.

In this case, although the transfer robot 5 is moving, the first cover 28 corresponding thereto is, as described above,
Since the closed state is locked by the cover lock mechanism 40, the closed state is not opened, and the operator places the crucible 10A on the turntable 4 so that even if a hand is inserted into the apparatus main body 4, the crucible 10A can be moved by the movable part. A certain transfer robot 5
, And safety is ensured, but the turntable 4 is rotating.

However, in the above state, when the second cover 29 is moved in the opening direction, the pressing of the actuator 55 by the pressing piece 56 provided on the hinge 51 side is released, so that the limit switch 54 is turned off. As a result, the drive of the turntable 4 is stopped, and the turntable 4 is immediately stopped.
Therefore, the operator can set the crucible 10A at a predetermined position on the turntable 4 reliably and safely. This added crucible 10A
It is carried into the combustion furnace 6 in a predetermined order and is subjected to analysis.

Even during the operation of adding the crucible 10A, the transfer robot 5 continues the predetermined operation, and the predetermined operation is continued in the combustion furnace 6, so that other operations and operations are hindered. Needless to say, there is nothing.

In the above-mentioned carbon / sulfur analyzer, when the automatic operation is performed, the sample is placed on the turntable 4.
Without passing through, there may be a case where the crucible is set in the combustion furnace 6 and the crucible is to be used for analysis. That is, when a predetermined number of crucibles 10 are placed on the turntable 4 and the automatic operation button is turned on to perform the automatic operation, as shown in FIG. Is set directly in the combustion furnace 6 by using an appropriate holder 70, and the analysis of the sample of the crucible 10B is interrupted, that is, the manual analysis is performed.

When performing the above-described manual analysis, the third cover 30 provided for the combustion furnace 6 must be opened. That is, the manual lock mechanism 66 is released, and the third cover 30 is opened by pulling it toward the user. By this opening operation, the pressing of the pressing portion 61 provided on the free end side of the third cover 30 against the actuator 65 is released, so that the limit switch 64 is turned off, whereby the driving of the transfer robot 5 is stopped. And
Since the operation of the transfer robot 5 is stopped immediately, even if an operator or the like inserts a hand in the direction of the lower flange 25 of the combustion furnace 6, the transfer robot 5, which is a movable part, is stopped. Secured.

The third cover 30 is detachable from the apparatus main body 1 so that analysis can be performed even with the third cover 30 removed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned carbon / sulfur analyzer, but can be similarly applied to other elemental analyzers.

[0047]

According to the present invention, even if the auxiliary cover can be moved in the opening direction, the main cover remains closed and the turntable is driven based on the detection of the movement of the auxiliary cover in the opening direction. During the automatic operation, open the auxiliary cover to add the sample, and the transfer robot, which is a movable part, is hidden by the main cover and the turntable stops, so the The crucible can be safely and securely set on the turntable.

When the auxiliary cover is moved in the opening direction in accordance with the operation of the main cover in the opening direction, the main cover and the auxiliary cover can be opened simultaneously.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire carbon / sulfur analyzer as an elemental analyzer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the carbon / sulfur analyzer.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the main part.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing an example of a transfer robot and a main cover.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing an example of a turntable and an auxiliary cover.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for describing operations of a main cover and an auxiliary cover.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for describing the operation of the combustion furnace cover.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of an analysis procedure performed in the carbon / sulfur analyzer.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device main body, 4 ... Turntable, 5 ... Transport robot, 6 ... Combustion furnace, 10, 10A, 10B ... Crucible, 28
… Main cover, 29… Auxiliary cover.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A turntable for holding a plurality of crucibles accommodating a sample on a front side of an apparatus body, a crucible held on the turntable is loaded into a combustion furnace for analysis, and the crucible is burned when the analysis is completed. A transfer robot to be carried out of the furnace, and a combustion furnace for accommodating the crucible and burning the sample in the crucible are provided in this order, and a main cover and an auxiliary cover are provided on the front of the turntable and the transfer robot so as to cover them. In the element analyzer provided to be able to open and close, even if the auxiliary cover can be moved in the opening direction, the main cover maintains the closed state, and based on the detection of the movement of the auxiliary cover in the opening direction, the turntable An elemental analyzer characterized in that the driving of the element is stopped. 2. The element analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary cover moves in the opening direction in accordance with the movement of the main cover in the opening direction.