JPH11271321A - Cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning apparatus by which the same cleaning effect as in conventional cases can be obtained in a shorter time than by a conventional technique and in which the amount of a cleaning liquid to be consumed is small. SOLUTION: A hollow member 8 in which a narrow passage port 20 used to pass an object 7 to be cleaned is provided in the upper-part position in which the object 7 to be cleaned is passed in its lowering direction or in the horizontal direction is provided. A cleaning-liquid discharge part (composed of a narrow inside-diameter port 11, of a pipe 21 and of a liquid feed member 9) in which a cleaning liquid 12 is discharged intermittently from the side part of the hollow member 8 toward the object 7, to be cleaned, which passes the inside of the hollow member 8 via the narrow passage port 20 is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to a cleaning apparatus for preventing contamination of components in various automatic analyzers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an automatic chemical analyzer or the like, a human body fluid is generally used as a sample, and a desired reagent is allowed to react with the sample. In performing such a chemical analysis, various nozzles for supplying a sample, a reagent, or a mixture of both to a reaction cell, and a stirrer for stirring the mixture are used. Since such components as nozzles and stirrers come into contact with different liquids many times continuously, it is necessary to perform sufficient cleaning treatment to prevent cross-contamination between the liquids during contact with each liquid. Is required.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional general cleaning apparatus used for such a cleaning process. A hollow container 102 having a cleaning liquid supply port 101 formed on a side surface,
This hollow container 102 is fixed, and a drain port 103 is provided.
And a member provided with an outer container 104 having
By supplying a certain amount of the cleaning liquid through the supply port 101, the inside of the hollow container 102 is always filled with the cleaning liquid 105 up to the water level. Therefore, if the object to be cleaned 106 is lowered and immersed in the cleaning water 105, the cleaning is performed.

[0004] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-168552 discloses a cleaning apparatus using electrophoresis, which includes a sample dispensing nozzle and a cleaning tank (integral type) corresponding to each jig of a coating destination. In addition, a water level detection unit is provided to control water absorption and drainage. This apparatus is characterized in that effective cleaning can be performed with a small amount of water by supplying cleaning water for a certain period of time and simultaneously generating bubbles.

Japanese Patent No. 2549115 discloses that
A cleaning device for cleaning a nozzle, a stirrer, and the like discloses that a liquid film is formed by surface tension in a cleaning tank, and the liquid film is swirled to clean an object to be cleaned. Therefore, for the cleaning by the swirled turbulent flow, the cleaning effect can be enhanced with a small amount of the cleaning liquid.

[0006]

However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-168552 described above, since nozzle cleaning and coating destination cleaning are performed in the same cleaning tank, the structure of the cleaning tank becomes large, and a large amount of water is required during cleaning. Requires wash water. In addition, since bubbles are generated from the cleaning liquid, the detergent cannot be used as the cleaning liquid, and the generated cleaning liquid may be scattered around.

[0007] Also, Japanese Patent No. 254911 mentioned above.
No. 5 has a drawback that the cleaning range of an object to be cleaned is narrow because the cleaning is performed by a swirling flow in a turbulent state. Further, the conventional cleaning apparatus generally fills a container with a cleaning liquid up to a full water level, and further extrudes the cleaning liquid for cleaning while the object to be cleaned is immersed in the container. In this configuration, although a little convection occurs, the cleaning effect is small, contamination cannot be prevented, and it is difficult to balance the supply amount of the cleaning liquid and the cleaning power, so that the expected cleaning effect is obtained. Requires a large amount of washing solution or washing time. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid may jump out due to deformation of the supply port of the cleaning liquid, mixing of air in the piping, or the like.

The cleaning apparatus of the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and can achieve the same cleaning effect as the conventional one in a shorter time than the conventional technique. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus which requires a smaller amount.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a cleaning apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention provides a cleaning apparatus for passing an object to be cleaned to an upper position where the object to be cleaned is lowered or passes in a horizontal direction. And a cleaning liquid discharge unit for intermittently discharging a cleaning liquid from a side portion of the hollow member toward the object to be cleaned passing through the inside of the hollow member through the passage port. And

[0010] Further, the cleaning apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises the first aspect.
In the cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the cleaning liquid discharge unit includes:
A first cleaning liquid discharge section having a narrow inner diameter opening for discharging the cleaning liquid;

Further, the cleaning device according to the third aspect of the present invention provides the cleaning device of the second aspect.
In the cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the cleaning liquid discharge unit includes:
The apparatus further includes a second cleaning liquid discharge section including a liquid sending member that compresses and sends out the cleaning liquid, and a pipe connecting the liquid sending member and the narrow inner diameter opening.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a configuration of a cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a top view thereof. In the figure, an upper portion of the hollow member 8 is provided with a narrow passage opening 20 through which the object 7 to be cleaned is lowered or passed in a horizontal direction. On the side of the hollow member 8, a cleaning liquid supply unit 10 that discharges the cleaning liquid 12 toward the inside of the hollow member 8 is provided. The cleaning liquid supply unit 10 is provided with a narrow inner diameter opening 11 as a first cleaning liquid discharging unit, and the diameter of the narrow inner diameter opening 11 is such that the cleaning liquid 12 is intermittently discharged in a ball shape having a particle diameter of 1 μm to 5 mm. The structure is as follows. Also, the narrow inner diameter port 11 of the cleaning liquid supply unit 10
Is connected via a pipe 21 to a liquid sending member 9 for compressing and sending out the washing liquid 12. The pressure of the liquid sending member 9 is designed in consideration of the balance with the diameter of the narrow inner diameter port 11. The pipe 21 and the liquid sending member 9 constitute a second cleaning liquid discharge unit.

Further, the cleaning position A of the cleaning object 7 is set at a distance which can maintain a high pressure of the cleaning liquid 12 and at a height at which the cleaning liquid 12 collides with a portion of the cleaning object 7 to be cleaned. Is done. If the direction in which the cleaning liquid supply unit 10 intermittently discharges the cleaning liquid 12 substantially coincides with the direction of the object 7 to be cleaned, the vertical angle is variable. However, in order to enhance the cleaning effect and to improve the drainage efficiency, it is desirable that the direction of the object to be cleaned 7 be from top to bottom.

Further, a syringe, a compressor, or the like can be considered as the liquid sending member 9, and a sample probe, a reagent probe, a stirring rod, or the like can be considered as the object 7 to be washed. However, a hot water cleaning liquid is used, but is not limited thereto.

In the above configuration, the object 7 to be cleaned is lowered to the cleaning position A of the hollow member 8 for cleaning. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, the object 7 to be cleaned passes horizontally through the hollow member 8 for cleaning. At the same time, the cleaning liquid 12 is compressed by the liquid feeding member 9 and is intermittently discharged from the narrow inner diameter port 11 at the tip of the cleaning liquid supply unit 10 in the direction of the cleaning object 7.

As described above, the present embodiment is characterized in that the object to be cleaned 7 is cleaned by using the function of spraying or spraying, which has a function of intermittently discharging a water-drop-shaped object. The cleaning liquid 12 compressed by the liquid feeding member 9 keeps its pressure when exiting the narrow inner diameter opening 11 of the hollow member 8 and is intermittently pushed out (discharged) from the front end. The discharge speed at this time is 0.5 m / s or more, preferably 10 m / s.
s or more. As a result, the cleaning liquid 1 in an intermittent state
2 and the air in the hollow member 8 alternately
Will collide. Such alternating gas-liquid collisions
The cleaning action is stronger than that obtained by discharging the liquid containing bubbles. Therefore, the bead-like cleaning liquid 1
Due to the collision effect of the gas-liquid mixture fluid, which is a mixture of 2 and air, and the discharge pressure, a cleaning effect equivalent to the conventional one can be obtained with a small amount of the cleaning liquid 12 in a short time. Here, the reason why the cleaning effect was enhanced with respect to the sample probe, the reagent probe, and the outer wall of the stirring rod was that the particle diameter was 0.8 mm to 3.0 m.
m, particularly when a cleaning liquid of 1.3 mm to 2.2 mm is discharged. Further, since the cleaning liquid 12 is discharged in a spray, the cleaning liquid 12 is discharged in a wide range,
The cleaning range can be increased. Further, the upper surface of the integral hollow member 8 prevents the cleaning liquid 12 from jumping out and contaminating the others.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is characterized in that a plurality of cleaning liquid supply units 10a and 10b are provided as shown in FIG. By discharging the cleaning liquid from the plurality of supply units at the time of cleaning as described above, a greater cleaning effect can be expected, and the cleaning time can be further reduced. Further, if the plurality of mounting positions are inside the hollow member 8, the upper and lower portions are variable, so that the cleaning range can be further expanded and the cleaning effect can be expected.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of narrow inner diameter ports 11a and 11b are provided in one cleaning liquid supply unit 10c.
Is provided. Since the cleaning liquid is discharged from the plurality of narrow inner diameter ports 11a and 11b at the time of cleaning, the cleaning range can be extended vertically especially when the narrow inner diameter ports are arranged vertically. As described above, in the present embodiment, the number and arrangement of the narrow inner diameter ports can be changed according to the purpose of cleaning. Of course, it is also possible to provide a plurality of cleaning liquid supply units 10c as in the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows an automatic analysis system in which the washing apparatuses of the first to third embodiments are suitably combined.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration in a case where the present invention is applied to a processing tool (probe, stirring rod, electrode, or the like) that processes a plurality of different analysis liquids (samples or reagents) while moving. In FIG. 5, the rotating table 50 has a plurality of reagent containers 51 in which a predetermined reagent is placed and provided along the circumferential direction.
By (52), it is driven to rotate under the control of the control unit 54. The turntable 56 has a plurality of reaction vessels 57 provided along the circumferential direction, and is driven to rotate by the motor M2 (55) under the control of the control unit 54. further,
By rotating the support unit 60 by the motor M3 (53) under the control of the control unit 54, the object 7 to be washed (reagent probe in the figure) supported by the support unit 60 is moved through an arc-shaped passage provided in the hollow member 8. Rotating table 5 while passing through a certain narrow passage 20
The rotary table 56 is moved between the zero suction position 58 and the discharge position 59 of the rotary table 56. Here, the hollow member 8 has a plurality of cleaning liquid supply sections 10a, which are branched from the common pipe 21 at the tip thereof.
10b are arranged at appropriate intervals along the arc-shaped passage. Since the plurality of cleaning liquid supply units 10a and 10b are controlled to open and close in accordance with the drive of the motor M3 by control valves (not shown), the closest cleaning liquid supply units follow the rotation of the object 7 to be cleaned. Only 10a and 10b are configured to discharge. Then, the cleaning target 7 is cleaned in the hollow member 8 by the above-described method while the cleaning target 7 moves from the discharge position 59 to the suction position 58. According to such a cleaning apparatus, the object to be cleaned 7, which performs a plurality of processes while reciprocating, can be efficiently performed during the movement.

The present invention can be variously modified without being limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, in order to obtain a gas-liquid mixed fluid, a means for intermittently sending liquid was used. However, a high-speed airflow (for example, 40 m / s or more) discharged from a compressor is sent through the pipe 21, In the meantime, the diameter of the ejection port may be increased by continuously sending the cleaning liquid from the liquid sending member 9 into the pipe 21. Further, even if a vibrating means for forming liquid droplets is provided in the vicinity of the narrow inner diameter opening 11, it is not necessary to perform intermittent ejection by the liquid sending member 9.

When there is a possibility that aerosol is generated during the cleaning by the jet of the cleaning liquid, or when the liquid cannot be sufficiently scattered from the upper entry opening of the hollow member 8, an air curtain is provided at the upper entry opening. By setting, an aerosol or scattered liquid discharge facility is not required.

As described above, according to the cleaning with the gas-liquid mixed fluid of the present invention, for example, the cleaning of the sample probe and the reagent probe can be completed with a liquid amount of less than half as compared with the conventional cleaning method. Here, in an example in which a jet airflow is ejected using a compressor, increasing the air pressure promotes not only the action of removing dirt by pressure but also the action of cleaning dirt with the cleaning liquid.In this case, the supply speed of the cleaning liquid is increased. By increasing the airflow velocity while slowing down or partially stopping the supply, the cleaning effect can be further improved by significantly increasing only the dislodging action of dirt.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the ratio of gas and liquid in the vicinity of the narrow inner diameter port 11 of the pipe 21 can be adjusted within an appropriate washing time from both viewpoints of water saving surface and washing promotion surface.

[0024]

According to the present invention, since the cleaning effect is excellent, a cleaning effect equivalent to the conventional one can be obtained in a shorter time than in the prior art, and in addition, the amount of the cleaning liquid used at that time can be reduced. A synergistic effect of requiring only a small amount is obtained. Further, it is possible to provide a cleaning apparatus that can increase the cleaning range and does not cause the cleaning liquid to scatter.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a configuration of a cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the configuration of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a cleaning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration in a case where the cleaning device of the present embodiment is applied to an automatic analysis system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7: cleaning object, 8: hollow member, 9: liquid sending member, 10: cleaning liquid supply section, 11: narrow inner diameter port, 12: gas-liquid mixed fluid (cleaning liquid), 20: narrow passage port.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A hollow member having a passage for passing the object to be cleaned at an upper position where the object to be cleaned descends or passes horizontally, and passes through the inside of the hollow member through the passage. A cleaning liquid discharging section for intermittently discharging a cleaning liquid from a side portion of the hollow member toward the object to be cleaned. 2. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid discharge section includes a first cleaning liquid discharge section having a narrow inner diameter opening for discharging the cleaning liquid. 3. The cleaning liquid discharging unit further includes a second cleaning liquid discharging unit including a liquid sending member for compressing and sending the cleaning liquid and a pipe connecting the liquid sending member and the narrow inner diameter port. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein