JPS6230536A - Automatic washing ultrasonic horn assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention utilizes ultrasonic energy to dissolve tableted materials in self-cleaning internal configurations, which are known in the art. Typical of such prior art is Hamil et al., which discloses packaging containers for tableted chemicals.
There is U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,285 by Mr. on. Ultrasonic energy is applied from outside the packaging,
It extends into the reaction compartment and is adapted to dissolve tablets of the material located inside the compartment. The disclosure of this patent shows that the application of ultrasonic energy creates a region of relatively high ultrasonic energy within the compartment. However, it has been previously observed that tableted materials tend to be mobile and that debris created by ultrasonic dissolution tends to disperse within the compartment from high energy areas to relatively low energy areas. It has been pointed out. As a result, a relatively long exposure period to ultrasonic energy is required to completely dissolve the tablet material.

The result of such prolonged exposure will be excessive heating of the body of liquid itself within which the tablet is placed. This excessive heating can be particularly harmful if the tableted material is to be dissolved within the body of the liquid (e.g., sample and/or reagent) used in the analysis of biological fluids. be. Therefore, 1
one container that rapidly dissolves the tabletted or partially emulsified material (i.e., in less than one minute) by applying ultrasonic energy from a single point inside the container; Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide a container which allows the tabletted or partially emulsified material to be confined to a relatively high energy region, thereby removing the material from this region. Providing a container having a configuration that prevents the material, tablets or parts of the tablets from migrating (') and reduces the dissolution time can be achieved by:
This seems to be an advantage.

When storing liquid reagents and/or specimens,
Care must be taken to minimize evaporation. At the same time, however, any arrangement used to suppress evaporation must be compatible with the requirement that the liquid be accessible during use. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a resealable lid configuration to allow long-term storage without evaporation while simultaneously housing a mixing or sampling probe. It is. A lid configuration that achieves these goals is of interest. A typical example of such a device is
U.S. Patent No. 3,994,59 to 5an-drock et al.
This is the device disclosed in No. 4. However, such a lid would not be compatible with use in conditions where the mixing and/or sampling probe is other than a sharp instrument. Furthermore, in the case of containers with multiple compartments, the transmission of vapor from compartment to compartment should be minimized so that the contents of one compartment cannot be contaminated by the contents of other compartments. It would be desirable to have a lid that minimizes the amount of damage caused by

The source of ultrasonic energy used to melt the tableted material is a device known as an ultrasonic horn assembly.

The horn assembly is a relatively HI long member that vibrates at super-audio frequencies as a result of the conversion of an electrical excitation signal into oscillations. The transducer or ultrasonic horn assembly may include a hole through which liquid can flow through the horn assembly and out of its tip portion. In this configuration, one liquid can be injected into another liquid, such as in an emulsion formulation or in a haze or mist. With such an ultrasonic horn assembly, Hea
t5ystθms (manufactured by Ultrasonics). In another horn assembly configuration, the asymmetric sound field causes a bubble to form in the hole, resulting in a pumping action that draws liquid out of the reservoir.
It is known to operate as a sprayer.

A typical example of this type of device is the “5 Ultras
onicsJ page 214 (1967), Lierk
[Ultrasonic atomizer incorporating automatic liquid supply] by Mr. E.

However, when using ultrasonic horn assemblies with flow through them under biological testing conditions, carry-over (carry-over Care must be taken to prevent contamination of subsequent fluids with substances. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide an ultrasonic horn assembly with self-cleaning capabilities so that carryover of particulate matter is minimized or eliminated.

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic horn assembly having one hole extending therethrough. The hole has a predetermined cross-sectional dimension over a predetermined portion of the length of the hole. After the section, the hole is narrowed via a frusto-conically chamfered surface into a section of narrowed cross-sectional dimension that opens up to the mouth of the hole. This narrowed cross-sectional dimension is at a predetermined distance from the antinode to be vibrated, so that the longitudinal vibrations of the ultrasonic horn assembly It agitates the liquid inside the part of the hole adjacent to the shaped surface, thereby creating a cleaning action to remove any particulate material that may adhere to the surface of the hole. I am writing.

The present invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application.

Throughout the following detailed description, like reference numerals refer to like components in all figures in the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a number of hydration containers 10A-I
The OFs are shown suitably arranged in end-to-end relationship, thereby forming an interconnected band of containers designated generally by the reference numeral 12. .

As disclosed herein, each of the containers 10A to 10F is designated by the reference numeral 30 provided by the present invention.
The ultrasonic treatment improving protrusions shown in their entirety are provided in a preferred orderly arrangement.

The continuous band 12 of the container can be made in any convenient manner. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the container tie band 12 includes a rigid outer circumferential band 14 made of a suitable material, such as an inert plastic.

This band 14 is either connected to each of the plurality of containers 1o or made integral with each of them, and in preferred cases the container connecting band 12 is connected to the first edge 1 /) The whole from L toward the second edge 16RK,
It is made to taper into a substantially elongated wedge-like configuration.

This wedge-shaped planar profile for the container-associated strips 12 is such that a number of such strips extend generally radially across the rotatable reagent storage plate, with a plurality of such strips adjacent to each other on the periphery. Makes it easy to connect and install. This rotatable reagent storage plate was developed in 1984, for example.
It is described in US Patent Application No. 642,814, filed on May 21st. , however, any number of containers 10 can have any predetermined external shape;
And containers 10 can be used alone or in any convenient number arranged together in any convenient manner, while remaining within the contemplation of the present invention. You should understand that it is a thing.

Each of the containers 10 may be arranged in a single arrangement, or in combination with five container interconnection strips 12 as shown in the embodiments.
side walls 18A, 18B and end wall 20A formed from a suitable inert plastic material and generally parallel and integrally formed, whether arranged in the form of
It includes compartments defined by two generally opposed pairs of cells 20B. Side wall 18A and 1
8B and the upper side of the end walls 20A and 2[]B (along with the upper side of pan l-' 14 near those walls)
in proper alignment and circumferentially surrounding the open upper end of the container 1o.
is defined. The 1° compartment of the container is closed off by an inverted pyramid-shaped floor 24 (see FIG. 2) that slopes downwards. In the embodiment shown in FIG.
The side walls 18A and 18B of each container 10 are the outer peripheral pan I-'
14K bonded. Furthermore, the end wall 2 of the container 1[]A
The OA and the end wall 20B of the container 10F are similarly connected to the band 14. The pan IJ 14 extends slightly below the lower end of the plurality of containers 1o and defines a support post 26 by which the container connecting strip 12 can be placed on a suitable work surface. If container 1 is used alone, any convenient device can be used to support the container on the work surface. As shown in FIG. 1, containers 10A, IOB, 10C and 1[]D have substantially square outlines, but containers 18B and 1
[ ] 1'' is shaped with a circumferential rectangular outline. However, the individual containers may be defined to be other than rectangular or square in plan, and which It should be understood that floor shapes other than sloped floor 24 may be provided and still remain within the contemplation of the present invention.

Adjacent containers 10 (e.g. containers 10B, 10C and 10D)
Adjacent end walls 2OA, 2QB of the containers 1o (see FIG. 2) are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined gap 28 to enhance the thermal and vapor insulation of each container 1o. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container tie strip 12 is formed by injection molding from a polyaromatic material.

Of course, other manufacturing techniques and imaging materials may be used and remain within the contemplation of the present invention.

As specifically explained in the original description, in accordance with the invention, each of the containers 10 carries sonication enhancement protrusions 60 arranged in an orderly manner at regular intervals from each other. The individual projections 60 are spaced apart from each other and define passageways 62 therebetween. 1st
Referring to the Figures and FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of these projections 30 is shown. In this embodiment, the protrusions 30 include a set of substantially finger-like members 36,36'
The members 36,36' extend vertically upwardly from the floor 24 of each container 10 in axially parallel relation.

A selected one of the fingers 36 projects upwardly a greater distance from the floor 24 than the other member 36' of the set. The relationship defines a generally centrally located tablet-receiving recess 38 within the interior of the container 10. The constant spacing between the fingers 36, 36' defines a passageway 32. , the passageways 62 allow hydration liquid to flow toward and through the recesses 38 as described herein. It should be understood that the protrusions 60 can be oriented in any convenient orientation or placed in any convenient position within the container 10. For example, the protrusions 60 can be Even if fingers 56,56' are used to define these members, these members can be angled with respect to the vertical axis of the container 10, and additional or Instead, side walls 18A, 18
It can also be attached to B and/or the end walls 2oA, 20B. As can also be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, generally planar members 40 extend diagonally outwardly from the corners of container 10 to assist in guiding the circulating hydration liquid. ing. As can be seen in the drawings, the sides of this planar member 40 are oriented substantially at right angles to the floor 24.

In Figures 38 to 3D, the ultrasonic treatment improvement protrusion 3 is shown.
Other embodiments of 0 are shown.

These figures depict top views of individual containers 10 and illustrate the longitudinal side shapes and arrangements of respective alternative embodiments of sonication enhancement projections. In FIG. 3A, the protrusion 30 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The shape of the member 42 is plate-like, generally similar to the member 4a shown in the figures. Some of the plates 42 extend inwardly from the corners of the container 10, while others 42' extend inwardly from the side walls 18 and end walls 20 of the container. It is extending. These plates 42, 42' therefore each substantially cover the container 1.
0 along the diagonal and lateral directions. It is preferred, but not necessary, that the inner ends of the plates 42.42' extend substantially perpendicularly with respect to the container floor 24 and the container 10.Plates 42.42
The lower end of ' can also be integral with the floor 24 if desired. The vertically oriented inner ends of the plates 42, 42' cooperate with each other to define a tablet-receiving recess 38 located centrally within the interior of the container. The constant spacing between these plates 42, 42' defines passageways 32 through which hydration liquid can flow in the manner described above.

In FIG. 3B, the protrusion 30 is in the form of an inwardly directed structure 46,46'.

These pyramidal structures 46.46' are each defined by like slopes 48 that are joined along one apex 50, which apex 50 is connected to each of the structures 46.46'. Depending on the case, the diagonal and lateral force scuttling of the container 10 are aligned in substantial alignment.

These structures 46.46' are therefore 1st edition 42,42
1 and 2, and is therefore disposed within the container 10 in a substantially diagonal and lateral direction. The constant spacing between the structures 46, 46' provides passageways 62 for purposes as previously described.
is defined.

In FIG. 3C, the floor 24 of the container 1a is provided with a circular central area 54 in a common area where the diagonal grooves 56 intersect with each other;
The traps each define a tablet receiving recess 58 and a passageway 62.

In Figures 3C and 3D, floor 24 is substantially flat. The protrusion 30 is therefore defined as the portion of material of the container 10 between the grooves 56. Similarly, in FIG. 6D, central region 54 defines recess 38, but in this case central region 54 includes a plurality of generally parallel grooves 5.
8, the plurality of grooves 58 are used to define the passageway 32.

Grooves 60 at both ends are also provided. The protrusion 30 is the groove 5
It is defined as the portion of the material of the container between 8.60 and 60.

In use, the tabletted or partially emulsified material to be dissolved is introduced into a hydration liquid introduced inside the container.

The energy producing the ultrasound waves is supplied from an ultrasound transducer, such as a device (described below in connection with FIG. 6) that is lowered into the container 10 through the open end of the container 10. Activation of the ultrasonic transducer introduces ultrasonic energy and causes the ultrasonic energy to surround the tablet receiving recess 68 in a substantially axial direction of the container. This ultrasonic energy can be applied in continuous or abruptly varying bursts, with a relatively constant or varying frequency. A tuffletized material (or multiple tableted materials) to be melted
Alternatively, the partially emulsified material moves towards the tablet receiving recess 68 and becomes trapped inside the recess. It has been found that whatever the initial arrangement of the material within the container 10, movement of the material towards the recess 38 will occur. The structural relationship between the plurality of protrusions 600 is utilized to define a recess '58, which receives and confines the particles to be dissolved within the container. Define an area of relatively high ultrasound energy. Any air trapped below the flow of the material to be dissolved and the hydration liquid passes through the high energy sonication area from other areas of the internal volume of the container and then into the passages 62 between the protrusions 3a. pass through outwards. In the embodiment of the protrusion 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, i.e. when fingers are used, the ultrasonic energy is reflected from the walls and floor of the container towards the recess 38. considered to be a thing. As a result of keeping the material confined in such a high energy region, melting of the material at relatively high speeds can be achieved by application of ultrasonic energy. Material dissolution times of less than 1 minute can be obtained. Concomitant thermal effects that have a detrimental effect on the aqueous phase liquid and/or the chemical emissions from dissolution are thereby avoided.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the tablet-receiving recess and the hydrating liquid can be passed through the high-energy region, either by being placed on the floor of the container and/or from the wall of the container. The provision of any suitable protrusions, such as those utilized to define both a recirculation gap and a recirculation gap for circulation, may enhance the application of ultrasonic energy during use. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the function of dissolving the material effectively and quickly is to form a relatively high energy tablet receiving recess and connect therewith. Any combination of such structures that define a relatively high ultrasonic energy region and a recirculation path in communication are within the contemplation of the present invention.

An ultrasonic transducer or probe 64 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. This transducer 64 is required in the ultrasonic horn assembly.
The body or pawn portion 66 of is an elongated shaft member extending from an enlarged head 68 to a chamfered tip 70. The tip 70 has 0 points with respect to the base line perpendicular to the axis of the hole.
An angle 72 is defined which lies within the range from 30 degrees to 45 degrees, more particularly from 30 degrees to 45 degrees, and strictly at 60 degrees. An axially projecting, threaded post 74 extends upwardly from the head 68.

A pair of piezoelectric crystals 76A, 76B with associated electrodes 78A, 78B are recessed about the boss 740.

Conductive wires 80A are connected to the electrodes 78A and 78B, respectively.
, 80B extends.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
is held in place by abutting the head 68. A nut 84 is threaded onto boss 74 to tighten the assembly together. A pipe connector 85 is screwed onto the top of the threaded portion of the nut 84 to accommodate the socket. The tubing 86 mounted inside the coupling is therefore quickly and easily interconnected to the ultrasonic transducer 64.

A bore 88 extends axially through the center of transducer 64 and communicates with the end of tubing 86 . The inner diameters of the pipe 86 and the upper portion 88A of the hole 88 are substantially equal. As shown in FIG. 6, this relatively large diameter portion 88A extends substantially the entire length of the transducer 64, but has an inwardly beveled shoulder 9.
2 is disposed within a predetermined distance 90 from the tip of the horn portion 66. The presence of this shoulder 92 narrows the hole 88 to a smaller diameter portion 88B. In accordance with the present invention, this shoulder 92 is located within a predetermined, limited distance 90 from the tip of the antinod or chamfered end of the vibrating horn portion 660.

In operation, tubing 86 is connected to a suitable source of suction and aqueous phase liquid so that aqueous phase liquid can be dispensed from or drawn into transducer 64 . Carry-on of material in hole 88
In order to minimize the possibility of Cleaning is achieved by the reduction of the flow generated by the flow and the caching effect that generates air bubbles in the flow.

A transducer or ultrasonic horn assembly 64, as shown in FIG. 6, is adapted to accurately dispense liquid into or aspirate liquid from the container 10, and It is adapted to provide the necessary ultrasonic energy to dissolve the tabletted or partially emulsified material. This ultrasonic horn assembly 6
4 can also be used to mix at least two liquid materials together. The provision of the H portion 92 allows for a cleaning action to be generated within the continuous liquid column 9B, which action prevents the accumulation of material on the wall soil of the hole, thereby minimizing carryover. be made into This cleaning action also extends to the liquid inside the pipe 86, thereby minimizing carryover in the connection area between the horn section and the pipe.

The ultrasonic horn assembly 64 may also form part of a device for detecting the presence of a solid interface (eg, a lid) or a liquid interface (eg, the level of a liquid reagent or liquid sample).

The conductors 80A and 80B are a self-excited resonant power supply network 95
This circuitry 95 is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,064, which is incorporated herein by reference. This circuitry 95 includes an ultrasonic horn assembly 6
4 includes a motional bridge circuit 96 for generating a feedback signal responsive to the vibrations of the circuit 4, the state of which is changed by an active filter 97 in the feedback circuit and coupled to a starting circuit 98. When there is no feedback signal in the feedback loop, the starting circuit 98 increases the Q (physical quantity) of the active filter to change the mode from suppressing the active filter 97 to a self-excited vibration state.

Ultrasonic horn assembly 64 as shown in FIG.
is operated using a motional bridge circuit 96 which is in turn coupled to the output (tllll) of a constant gain power amplifier 99 via a transformer 100. Not only is it utilized to apply an excitation force to the sonic horn assembly 64, but more importantly: and (2) generating a sinusoidal feedback control voltage in conductor 101 that is independent of non-reactive load changes in the ultrasonic transducer.
1 connects the motional bridge circuit 96 to the input side of the all-pass phase shifter circuit 102 . This phase shifter circuit 10
On the output side of 2, there is an active filter 97 and the filter 9.
A starting circuit 98 for bringing the motor 7 into a self-excited vibration state is connected thereto. The active filter 97 is connected to the input side of a power amplifier 99, and the output side of the amplifier 99 is connected to a transformer 100 through an inductance 103, so that the active filter 97 drives the motional bridge circuit 96. ing.

The feedback control voltage of the conductor f1101 is the input of a phase shifter circuit 102, which adjusts the phase synchronization of its input sinusoidal signal so that the vibrations of the ultrasonic transducer remain in a parallel co-mining state. It is used to tune in a predetermined amount and direction such that it is constrained by. Note that only the phase locking of the feedback signal, not the amplitude, is adjusted so as not to interfere with the loop gain and mode suppression function of the subsequent active filter circuit 97. This is very important. Phase shifter circuit 102 is formed as a first-order all-pass network with a variable phase shift, and its output signal is a replica (except for phase) of the input AC feedback signal from motional bridge circuit 96. It is.

Active filter 97 is a dual-purpose, second-order, Q-controlled bandpass filter. The primary purpose of this filter is to power the ultrasonic transducer device “outside the band range”, in thermal mode when it is not selected for use.
The goal is to prevent it from being driven. When used in this manner, the filter is referred to as a mode suppression filter. The second purpose of this filter 97 is
The feedback signal on conductor 101 will not appear unless it is completely eliminated, for example during start-up. In the above case, the activation circuit 98 monitoring the output signal from the phase shifter circuit 102 increases the Q of the active filter circuit 97 to the point where the filter circuit 97 is suppressed to oscillation. The Q of the circuit is 5 dB':
(It is defined as the ratio of the resonance frequency (Wo) to the bandwidth (BW) as follows.

O Q=□ BW The frequency of the oscillation is made to match the preselected natural parallel resonant frequency of the ultrasonic transducer device.

The oscillator mode provided by active filter 97 is connected to conductor 101 from motional bridge circuit 96.
Leave the upper feedback control signal restored (until needed).
It continues to exist.

When a voltage (approximately 70 volts, root mean square) is applied to the ultrasonic horn assembly 64, it is sufficient to drive the unloaded ultrasonic horn assembly 64, causing the assembly to reach its resonant frequency. The ultrasonic horn assembly vibrates at a frequency of 20KH2 to 100KHz, more specifically 4KHz.
It is operated at frequencies ranging from 0 KH2 to 6 (] KH2, and more particularly at frequencies of 50 KHz.

When the tip 70 of the ultrasonic horn assembly encounters a solid or liquid interface, the ultrasonic horn assembly becomes loaded and no longer resonates.

Therefore, the signal on conductor 101 disappears. As described in the above and incorporated patents, the disappearance of this feedback signal causes the activation circuit 98 to generate a signal on lead 104 to device 105 (eg, a digital computer). Therefore, an indication is generated that the ultrasonic horn assembly 64 has encountered an interface.

Containers 10 of the multi-container continuous strip 12 shown in FIG.
each is sealed by a lid structure B according to the invention. The lid structure includes a first lower support plate 10 with storage areas 107 arranged at regular intervals therein.
Contains 6. Each of the compartments 107 has a peripheral contour that matches the shape of the open end of the container 10 to which it is connected. A second upper cover lamella 108 covers the lower lamella 106 . This thin plate 108 is the thin plate 1
06 to the lamina 106, thereby defining within each of the receptacles 107 a volume 110 enclosed on substantially all sides. Laminae 106 and 108 are joined in any suitable manner to define an outer peripheral flange region 112 that completely surrounds a volume 110 surrounded on all sides. Each of the volumes 110 is designated by the West Company of Phoenix with a standard designation number 8553-3-5-1, for example.
A thermoplastic elastomer pad 114, sold by Xville, Inc., is provided. This pad 1
14 is received inside a container 110 surrounded on all sides, and a gap 116 is formed between the wall of the storage section 107 and the upper thin plate 1.
08.

The lid structure having the assembled relationship as described above is arranged so as to overlap each of the containers 1D of the container connecting strip 12. To provide this with an edge, the thin plate 10
The lower surface of the outer peripheral run area 112 defined by the joints of the outer circumference 7 and 108 is heated or otherwise attached to the link surface 22 of the container 10. The containers are each individually sealed by an impermeable seal, which serves to form an evaporation barrier for the contents of the compartments and to isolate each of the containers against cross-contamination of vapors. fulfill.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Since the lower lamina 106 is adapted to be heat-sealed to the surface 22 surrounding each container, the lamina 106 that abuts the container 10 must be heat-sealable to one container 10. Must be. Otherwise, the thin plate 106 may be made of a suitable substantially rigid and inert material, such as a sheet metal.
It can be used as In a preferred embodiment, the lamina 108 is (i) E, e.g.
, 1. (ii) a polyvinylidene chloride coating, such as sold by Dow Chemical Company as rsARANJ[F], and (ii) an outer barrier laminate of (110 polyethylene); A lamina of polyethylene interfaces with and is connected to the bottom lamina.Of course, any other suitable 4J□, f'-'
) can be used for sheets 106 and 108. The top lamella 108 forms a vapor barrier that improves the shelf life of containers coated with IiL.

The lid can also be completed using any stretchable and resealable material, such as silicone rubber or natural rubber. It is provided so as to protrude inwardly and downwardly.However, it is also possible to have the opposite structure.
4 can also be arranged above the container.

If only a single container is to be covered, the lid can be completed using a single lamella and a single pad carried thereon. Either side of the plate can be attached to the container so that the pad either protrudes into the container or lies above the container.

The parallax 114 is provided with a slit 120 that defines a path for the probe to enter and exit the container, thereby opening the horn portion of the ultrasonic horn assembly 64. The elastomeric material of the pad 114 is capable of being inserted into the container 1o.The elastomeric material of the pad 114 naturally heals when the ultrasonic horn assembly is withdrawn, thereby being substantially integrally constructed over the container. The pad 114 is selected to maintain an evaporation barrier.This pad 114 has a relatively large diameter tip (i.e., approximately
75 order - 0,125 in) is also naturally cured. This lid structure is therefore useful with relatively blunt tips.

In addition, the para-114 material provides a wiping action on the outer portion of the ultrasonic horn assembly as it is inserted or withdrawn. This wiping action prevents cross-contamination.

It has been found that providing a gap between the pad and the housing facilitates insertion of the ultrasonic horn assembly or probe into the container.

Although the teachings of the present invention described above enable many different modifications, such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims section of this specification. Uru 0

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a multi-container continuous strip useful for containing liquids for biological testing, each container having a compartment therein, each compartment having a compartment formed therein. FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the tablet-receiving recess defined by FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of a resealable lid structure suitable for use with the multiple compartment container of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic horn assembly according to the present invention. 10A, IOB, IOC, IOD, 10E, l
0F-Container for aqueous phase, 12... Continuous band-like body of multiple containers, 1
4.Outer periphery/Kund, 16L.First edge, 16R second edge, i8A, 18B.Side wall, 2OA, 20B..End wall, 22..Sealing surface. 24 Floor, 26・Support column, 28,116 Gap, 3
0-Protrusion, 32 passage, 56.56'-finger-like member,
38...Tablet receiving recess, 40 Planar member, 4
2.42'・Plate member, 46.46′ Pyramid-shaped structure, 48-・Face, 50・Top end, 54 Central region,
56.58.60 Groove, 64・Ultrasonic transducer (ultrasonic horn assembly), 66・Horn part, 68・Enlarged head, 70・−Tip, 72・・Angle, 74・・Boss, 7
6A, 76B...Piezoelectric crystal, 78A, 78B...Electrode, 80A, 80B・Conducting wire, 82-rear piece, 84・Nut, 85・・Piping connector, 86 Piping, 88・Hole, 8
8A - Upper part of hole, 90.94 Predetermined distance, 92
- Shoulder, 93 - Liquid column, 95 Self-excited resonance power supply circuit, 96 - Motion bridge circuit, 97... Active filter, 98 Start-up circuit, 99... Constant gain power amplifier, ioo... Transformer, 101 ,104・
Conductor, 102 All-pass phase shifter circuit, 103... Inductance, 105... Device (for example, digital computer), 106 Lower thin plate, 107 Storage part, 108
Upper thin plate, 110 Volume, 112.・Outer peripheral flange area, 114... Nomurad, 120... Slit, L
...Lid structure.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1) an ultrasonic horn assembly having one central axial hole extending therethrough, the hole being at a predetermined distance from an end of the ultrasonic horn assembly; and in use, vibration of the ultrasonic horn assembly causes the ultrasonic horn assembly to be narrowed by a shoulder disposed within the hole a predetermined distance above the shoulder. An ultrasonic horn assembly characterized in that a continuous column of liquid is agitated to produce a cleaning action on the liquid within the hole. 2) The ultrasonic horn assembly of claim 1, wherein the shoulder is substantially disposed on a vibrating antinode of the ultrasonic horn assembly. 3) The ultrasonic horn assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder portion is chamfered. 4) The end of the ultrasonic horn assembly is chamfered at an angle within a range of 0 degrees to 45 degrees.
An ultrasonic horn assembly according to claim 1.