KR20110049684A - Liquid container, and liquid feeding apparatus and liquid feeding method using the liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A liquid container, a liquid feeding apparatus using thereof, and a liquid feeding method are provided to control the movement of a stopper member by setting a proper position of a pressurized connector and the stopper member. CONSTITUTION: A liquid feeding apparatus using a liquid container includes a pedestal(31), a liquid feeding adapter(21), and a stopper member(34). The pedestal includes the liquid container(1), and a protrusion contacting a circular bottom unit of a container main body(2) after being inserted into a penetration unit(9) of a supporting stand. The liquid feeding adapter includes a gas inlet(25) and a liquid feeding pipe(23), and seals the container main body. The stopper member is operatively installed on a pillar unit located on the pedestal.

Description

Liquid container, liquid feeding device and liquid feeding method using the liquid container {LIQUID CONTAINER, AND LIQUID FEEDING APPARATUS AND LIQUID FEEDING METHOD USING THE LIQUID CONTAINER}

The present invention relates to a liquid container for placing a liquid, a liquid feeding device for delivering a liquid from the liquid container, and a liquid delivery method.

Industrial high-purity chemical liquids, such as photoresists and solvents used in the semiconductor and liquid crystal fields, medical high-purity chemical liquids, and liquids for food materials are required to be stored, conveyed, and used with high purity without the incorporation of foreign substances. Therefore, it is desired that the liquid container which is used for storage and conveyance of these liquids, or is used as it is set in the liquid feeding apparatus as it is, has very little component elution. Such a liquid container and a liquid delivery method are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-290420.

The liquid container described in the document is formed of a high-purity resin in an inner layer in a multilayer structure, and is provided with a discharge port protruding from the upper side of the container, and at the same time, the bottom of the container is formed to be able to stand on its own. The container is filled with a high-purity chemical liquid, and as shown in the drawings in the above document, the pressure is protected by covering the surroundings of the container with a pressure-resistant protective container or a protective container capable of withstanding gas pressure, and delivering the liquid at the pressure of the gas.

By the way, the liquid container described in this document has a problem that it is difficult to discharge the liquid remaining in the flat container bottom part at the time of the liquid delivery, and the amount of residual liquid is large. In addition, when storing a plurality of liquid containers or preparing them near a liquid feeding device, there is a problem that a large space is required because the liquid containers cannot be placed unless the liquid containers are arranged. In addition, when the liquid container is set in the liquid feeding device, it is necessary to cover it with a pressure-resistant protective container, which increases the number of parts of the liquid feeding device, thereby making a large-scale and expensive device, and also complicated to set or replace the liquid container. There is a problem. In addition, if a high pressure gas pressure is used to deliver the liquid, bubbles are likely to occur in the liquid, and thus there is a problem that a liquid feeding device is required for a filter for removing bubbles in the liquid.

Disclosure of Invention The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a transportable liquid container capable of storing a liquid by saving space while maintaining a high quality of the filled liquid, and at the same time, minimizing the remaining amount of liquid during feeding. For the purpose of In addition, the liquid dispensing apparatus and the liquid feeding method which can set-up and replace this liquid container are simple, and it is cheap by a simple structure, can surely reduce the residual amount of the liquid in a liquid container, and can deliver a liquid safely. It aims to provide.

The liquid container of the present invention, which is made to achieve the above object, is blow molded with a thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa, and has a round bottom portion in a substantially cylindrical body portion, and has a body on a ceiling part. A container body which has a concentric outlet portion and which is receptive to liquid, and which can be fitted with a detachable cap to the outlet port, and a resin support that is fitted to the round bottom side of the fuselage portion for self-supporting the container body; A liquid container having a,

At least the inner surface of the container body is formed of a high purity thermoplastic resin in which impurity fine particles are not leached in the liquid above a predetermined reference value,

When the plurality of the liquid containers are stacked, the support is provided with a through portion that can receive the outlet with the plug of the container body stacked below, and a bottom portion that can be fitted to the ceiling of the container body stacked below is formed. It is characterized by being.

The liquid container is characterized in that the resin forming the container body and / or the support is a material that can be recycled.

The liquid feeding apparatus is a liquid feeding apparatus for feeding the liquid in the liquid container, in which the liquid container is set, wherein the liquid container is placed, and a projection part which enters the through portion of the support and contacts the round bottom of the container body is placed. The vessel being connected to a pedestal provided with a pressure source having a pressure of up to 200 kPa, for supplying gas into the vessel body, and a distal end positioned near the bottom of the round bottom portion in the vessel body. A liquid supply adapter having a liquid feed pipe with a leading end portion drawn from the outside of the main body, which is replaceable with the stopper and is detachably attached to the discharge port, and is movably installed in a support portion installed upright from the pedestal, A jersey capable of locking its movement in a position in contact with the top of the liquid feed adapter fitted to the outlet It characterized in that it comprises a material.

The liquid feeding device is characterized in that the pressure source having a pressure of 10 kPa to 50 kPa is connected to the gas supply port.

In this liquid feeding apparatus, the gas supply port is formed such that a pressurized connector connected to the pressurization source is connectable, and the blocking member moves the pressurized connector to the gas supply port while being in contact with an upper portion of the liquid supply adapter. And a stopper which touches the pressure connector and suppresses the movement of the blocking member when connected thereto.

The liquid feeding apparatus is provided with a positioning mechanism in which the blocking member and the liquid feeding adapter are fitted to each other to define a position of the gas supply port with respect to the blocking member.

In the liquid feeding method, the liquid container is filled with liquid, the distal end of the liquid feeding pipe is inserted near the bottom of the rounded bottom part, the leading end thereof is led to the outside, and the upper and lower portions of the container body of the liquid container are inserted into the liquid container. A gas having a pressure of up to 200 kPa is supplied into the container, and the liquid is discharged from the liquid container.

This liquid feeding method is characterized in that the pressure of the gas is 10 kPa to 50 kPa.

According to the liquid container of the present invention, a high-purity thermoplastic resin in which no impurity fine particles are leached in the liquid on the inner surface above the reference value, wherein the container body is formed of a thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa. While maintaining high quality and excellent mechanical strength, it is possible to prevent damage or deformation of the container during transportation or storage. In particular, at the time of liquid feeding, even if pressurized by the pressure of 200 kPa, large deformation of a container can be prevented. In addition, since the mechanical strength is excellent, even if a plurality of containers filled with liquid are stacked, the liquid containers stacked below are not damaged. In addition, when a plurality of liquid containers are stacked, the stopper outlet of the liquid containers stacked below enters the through part of the support, and the bottom part of the support is coupled to the ceiling stacked below so that it can be stably stacked and stacked, thus saving space. . In addition, since the container body has a rounded bottom portion, the remaining amount of liquid at the time of liquid feeding can be reduced.

According to the liquid container of the present invention, since it is formed of a resin which can be recycled material, it can be recycled as a raw material and can be circulated for use.

According to the liquid feeding apparatus and the liquid feeding method of this invention, the deformation | transformation to the up-down direction is prevented by inserting the upper and lower sides of a container main body. Therefore, since the distance between the distal end of the liquid feed pipe and the round bottom does not fall, it is possible to reliably reduce the remaining amount of liquid collected in the round bottom at the time of liquid feeding without waste. As an example, the remaining amount of the liquid can be 0.5% or less, preferably 0.1% or less of the container capacity. Therefore, since the usable amount of the liquid contained in the liquid container increases, the yield can be improved, and the frequency of changing the liquid container also decreases, so that the productivity is excellent. In addition, since a liquid container having excellent mechanical strength is used, it is not necessary to cover the liquid container with a pressure-resistant protective container, thereby making it easy to set and replace a liquid container, and at the same time, make the device simple and inexpensive, and maintain and maintain the liquid container. Also, it becomes simple and can be set as the apparatus excellent in economy. In addition, by pressurizing with a gas having a maximum pressure of 200 kPa, it is safe such that the liquid container is not damaged, and the amount of bubbles generated in the liquid can be reduced because of the low pressure.

According to the liquid feeding device and the liquid feeding method of the present invention, the amount of bubbles generated in the liquid can be further reduced by setting the pressure of the gas supplied into the liquid container to 10 kPa to 50 kPa.

According to the liquid feeding apparatus of the present invention, the blocking member is provided with a stopper that touches the pressure connector and suppresses the movement of the blocking member, so that the liquid is connected while the pressure connector is connected, that is, the pressure in the liquid container remains. Since inadvertent detachment of the blocking member holding the adapter is prevented, the liquid feeding adapter is prevented from popping out under pressure, so that the liquid container can be safely removed from the apparatus.

According to the liquid feeding apparatus of the present invention, since the gas supply port faces a constant direction by the positioning member for defining the position of the gas supply port with respect to the blocking member and the liquid feed adapter, Since it can be connected easily to a supply port, setting work of a liquid container can be performed quickly and simply. In addition, since the positional relationship between the pressurized connector connected to the gas supply port and the stopper is defined as a constant positional relationship, the stopper can reliably suppress the movement of the blocking member.

1 is a partially broken front view showing a storage state of a liquid container according to the present invention;
2 is a partially broken side view showing a state of use of a liquid container and a liquid feeding device to which the present invention is applied;
3 is a configuration diagram showing a use state of a liquid container and a liquid feeding apparatus (front cross section) to which the present invention is applied;
4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state of use of the liquid feeding apparatus to which the present invention is applied;
5 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state of use of another liquid feeding apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, although the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these forms.

Preferred aspects of the liquid container of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

In the same figure, two liquid containers 1 of the present invention are stacked and placed on the storage table 18 as an example. The liquid container 1 is free of component elution and does not contaminate the filled liquid 17. The liquid container 1 is used for storing and transporting the liquid 17 or as it is set in a liquid feeding apparatus as it is.

The liquid container 1 can be suitably used, for example, in the fields of manufacture of semiconductors and liquid crystal devices, pharmaceuticals, and foods where clean liquid quality is required. Examples of the liquid 17 include liquids that can be used for the production of semiconductors and liquid crystal devices such as photoresist liquids, acids, alkalis, solvents, and pharmaceutical liquids such as disinfectants, sap solutions, and dialysis liquids, or perfumes, concentrates, The liquid used in the food field, such as a food additive, is mentioned. Hereinafter, as an example, the liquid 17 is demonstrated as being a photoresist liquid used for manufacture of a semiconductor and a liquid crystal device.

The liquid container 1 is comprised by the container main body 2 and the support stand 3, as shown to the same figure.

The container main body 2 is the bottom part 6 of which the lower side (lower side of drawing) of the substantially cylindrical trunk | drum 5 is round, and the upper side (upper side of drawing) of the fuselage | body part 5 is an outlet 8 ) Is closed by the ceiling 7 formed.

The discharge port 8 is a cylindrical shape formed with a diameter smaller than the trunk | drum 5, and is concentric with the trunk | drum 5, is protruded from the center part of the ceiling part 7, and is provided and formed. A male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the discharge port 8, and the stopper 16 in which the female screw was formed is detachable.

Although the ceiling part 7 may be formed in the substantially flat shape from the lower end part of the discharge port 8 to the fuselage part 5, as shown in the figure, from the lower end part of the discharge port 8 to the fuselage part 5 is shown. The one formed in the shape of a gentle downward slope is preferable because the pressure resistance strength of the container increases. In addition, when the ceiling portion 7 is formed at the downward slope in this manner, after the use of the liquid container 1, it is easy to discharge the remaining liquid and the washing water upside down the container body 2, so that from the viewpoint of material recycling. desirable. In addition, the ceiling portion 7 has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the penetration portion 9 so as to be fitted into the penetration portion 9 described later so that the support portion 3 does not deviate from side to side when the support body 3 is placed thereon. It is preferable to form the ridge | bulb 7a which raised the upper part of (7).

In the round bottom part 6 side of the trunk | drum 5, the peripheral groove 11 for fitting the support stand 3 is formed.

The container body 2 forms, for example, 1 to 200 liters (liters) of liquid 17 of a desired capacity into an acceptable size. Although the diameter of the container main body 2 is 1 L, for example, when it is 90 mm in diameter and 200 L in capacity, it forms like diameter 600mm, for example, The diameter and capacity are arbitrary.

The container body 2 is blow molded with a thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa, and at least the inner surface thereof is formed of a high purity thermoplastic resin. For example, when the container main body 2 is formed with the wall part of a multilayered structure, when an inner surface layer is formed with a high purity thermoplastic resin, and the other layer is formed with the thermoplastic resin whose bending elastic modulus is at least 700 Mpa, The wall portion of the multilayer structure formed of the thermoplastic resin may be formed with the flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa as a whole. Moreover, when the container main body 2 is formed by the wall part of a single | mono layer, what is necessary is just to be formed with the high purity thermoplastic resin whose elasticity modulus is at least 700 Mpa. In either case, it can form by a well-known blow molding machine. The measuring method of bending elastic modulus is based on JISK7171.

Even when the container main body 2 is supplied with a gas having a pressure of 200 kPa and the liquid 17 is fed by this pressure, the bending elastic modulus of the container resin is at least as strength required to prevent damage or large deformation of the container. It is necessary to be 700 MPa. When the flexural modulus is less than 700 MPa, when pressurized, the deformation of the container is large, and it is necessary to cover and protect the container body 2 with a pressure-resistant protective container such as a stainless pressure container, like a conventional liquid container.

The thicker the container, the thicker the container, the higher the container strength. However, if the thickness is too thick, a lot of raw materials are required and the container weight becomes heavy. Therefore, if the flexural modulus is at least 700 MPa, it is easy to mold. The thinner the thickness, the more preferable. As an example, since it is easy to shape | mold having a plate thickness of about 1.5-4 mm, it is preferable.

Here, high purity thermoplastic resin is resin which impurity microparticles | fine-particles do not leach in the liquid 17 more than a predetermined reference value. Specifically, while storing the liquid 17 in the container main body 2 for a long time, there is a cleanness index as an index indicating the degree to which impurity fine particles are leached and the quality deteriorates. The cleanliness is determined by storing ultrapure water or photoresist liquid in a test container for a predetermined period, and calculating how much fine particles having a particle size of 0.2 µm or more are present in 1 ml of the stored contents. Specifically, it is defined by the following formula (1).

In Equation 1, a is the capacity of the test container, and b is the amount of the contents sampled from the test container. First, a sampling liquid for measuring the initial cleanliness is collected as follows. About half of the capacity, that is, a / 2 (ml) of ultrapure water or a photoresist liquid is added to a test container of the capacity a (ml), shaken for 15 seconds, and allowed to stand for 24 hours. The sampling liquid for measuring the cleanliness after storage is collected after the container is rotated three times so as not to generate bubbles by attaching a stopper to the container after the initial cleanliness measurement. c is the value which counted the particle | grains which are 0.2 micrometer or more of particle diameters contained in a sampling liquid whole quantity with the particle counter. Based on the numerical value, Equation 1 calculates the cleanliness after the initial and fixed storage. Lower values of cleanliness indicate better quality of the photoresist liquid. If the cleanliness is less than 100 / ml, the chemical liquid can be stably stored without degrading the quality and yield of the semiconductor and the liquid crystal monitor (LCD).

Therefore, as high purity thermoplastic resin, when the cleanness is measured using the container main body 2 as an inspection container, resin which satisfy | fills a desired cleanliness is used. When accommodating a photoresist liquid, resin whose cleanness becomes less than 100 piece / ml (an example of a predetermined | prescribed reference value) is used. In other words, high-purity thermoplastic resin is resin which impurity fine particles do not leach in a liquid more than a predetermined | prescribed reference value. Moreover, you may calculate the number of microparticles | fine-particles whose particle diameter is 0.3 micrometer or more corresponding to the specification applied. Moreover, it is good also as resin which becomes a cleanness less than 200 pieces / ml corresponding to the specification applied. The stopper 16 is also formed of a high purity thermoplastic resin.

In addition to the degree of cleanliness, the degree of leaching of the impurity fine particles can also be defined by the degree of deterioration of the transparency of the liquid 17 (another example of the predetermined reference value).

It is preferable that resin which forms the container main body 2 is resin which can be recycled | recyclable, For example, polyolefin, such as polyethylene and a polypropylene, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), Polyester, polyphenylene oxide, etc. are mentioned. These resins may be used alone to form a single wall portion, or a plurality of resins may be used to form a wall portion of a multilayer structure.

For example, the container main body 2 consists of a polymer (a) and a polymer (b) which are all polyethylene or an ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer, and have a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or more, and a density of 0.940-0.970 g / cm <3>. The polymer (a) having a melt index of 0.09 g / 10 minutes or less based on JIS K6760 occupies 30 to 95% by weight of the total weight, substantially covering the outer surface, and having a weight average molecular weight of 30,000 to less than 200,000. The polymer (b) having a density of 0.930 to 0.970 g / cm 3 and a melt index of 0.1 to 1.0 g / 10 min based on the same JIS standard occupies 5 to 70% by weight, and may have a structure substantially covering the inner surface. In this case, there are very few leaching of particulate impurities in the stored chemical, excellent chemical resistance, and sufficient mechanical strength, so that the container satisfies the latest stringent international standards for transporting dangerous chemicals. The main body 2 can be used.

Moreover, as another specific example, the container main body 2 consists of resin of polyethylene or an ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer whose density | condensation of at least an inner surface is 0.940-0.970g / cm <3>, and in this resin quantified by liquid chromatography. Content of neutralizing agent, antioxidant, and light stabilizer is 0.01 weight% or less with respect to the total weight of resin, respectively, The weight average molecular weight of this resin measured by gel permeation chromatography is 12-26 * 10 <^4> , and molecular weight in resin It is good also as a structure whose polymer of 1 * 10 <^3> or less is less than 2.5 weight% with respect to the total weight of resin. The? -Olefin may be at least one selected from propylene, butene-1,4-methyl-pentene-1, hexene-1, and octene-1. In this case, it can be set as the container main body 2 which is excellent in mechanical strength, is easy to handle, and has very little leaching of impurity fine particles in the solvent which is stored and stored. In addition, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene, dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol acetate, methoxypropyl acetate, butyl cellosolve, etc. And high purity solvents used for medical purposes such as sterilization, disinfection, and pharmaceutical raw materials, for example, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and the like, in this container body 2, It can be satisfied enough.

Moreover, as another specific example, the container main body 2 has a weight average molecular weight of 12-26x10 < ⁴ > measured by the gel permeation chromatography, and the density of 0.940-0.970g whose molecular weight which is 1x10 <^3> or less is less than 5 weight%. Resin of polyethylene / ethylene-α-olefin copolymer having a / cm 3, neutralizing agent, antioxidant and light stabilizer having a content of 0.01% by weight or less, inorganic pigments of titanium oxide, carbon black and bengal, 0.01 to 5% by weight of at least one light-shielding pigment selected from phthalocyanine-based, quinacridone-based and azo-based organic pigments, and a dispersing agent of an olefin-based polymer having a number average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ³ or more It may be formed of a resin composition containing less than 5% by weight. In this case, the container main body 2 which is excellent in mechanical strength, is easy to handle, and has very little leaching of the impurity fine particles in the chemical | medical agent stored and can prevent the contents from being deteriorated by light can be provided. For this reason, it can be used widely for a semiconductor chemical liquid, the said chemical solvent, etc.

Moreover, as another specific example, the container main body 2 is a polymer of olefin of ethylene, propylene, butene-1, 4-methyl-pentene-1, hexene-1, or octene-1, and of ethylene and other olefins. An inner layer made of a high purity resin containing at least one selected from copolymers and having a maximum content of 0.01% by weight of each of a neutralizer, an antioxidant, and a light stabilizer, and a poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) It is a container in which the intermediate | middle layer of solvent barrier resin and the outer layer which consists of a resin composition containing a light-shielding substance are blow-molded, The minimum absorbance in wavelength 400nm or less of all the layers of the container measured with a spectrophotometer is 2.0 or more. Further, the absorbance coefficient at wavelength 400 nm obtained by dividing the absorbance of the entire layer of the container by the thickness of the entire layer is 1.5 mm ⁻¹ or more, and similarly the absorption coefficient at wavelength 600 nm is 1.5 mm ^{−. It is good also} as a structure which is ^one or less. Here, in the resin composition of the outer layer, less than 5% by weight of a pigment dispersant composed of at least one olefin polymer selected from polyethylene and polypropylene having a number average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ³ or more, and at least one selected from inorganic pigments and organic pigments. 0.01-5 weight% of one type of light-shielding pigment may be contained, and less than 2.5 weight% of ultraviolet absorbers may be contained in the resin composition of an outer layer. In this case, there is no leaching of fine particles and metal ions during storage and transportation, and the quality of the high purity chemical liquid can be maintained, and it is hard to be damaged and can be made into the lightweight container body 2.

In addition, a layer of a thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of 700 MPa or more may be provided in the outer layer of the container described in these specific examples to be the container body 2, and in combination with the provided outer layer, the flexural modulus is increased in the entire wall portion of the layer structure. It is good also as 700 Mpa or more.

As shown in the drawing, the support 3 has an outer cylindrical portion having a diameter substantially the same as that of the body portion 5, which has a projection portion 12 fitted into the peripheral groove 11 of the container body 2. 13) and the inner cylindrical part 14 which touches and supports the lower side of the round bottom part 6 are formed in the double cylindrical shape in which each lower part was connected in the bottom part 15. As shown in FIG. Since the support 3 is fitted to the container main body 2, the round bottom part 6 does not touch the flat holder 18, so that the liquid container 1 can be freely stably supported.

In addition, as shown in the figure, at the time of stacking a plurality of liquid containers 1, at least a part of the bottom 15 is placed on the ceiling 7 of the container body 2 stacked below. Is engaged by contact. Moreover, the support stand 3 is a space which can accommodate the discharge port 8 with the stopper 16 of the container main body 2 which the penetrating part 9 formed in the center part by the inner cylinder part 14 attached below. It is. For this reason, the some liquid container 1 can be piled up stably. The penetrating portion 9 can also be used for positioning when the liquid container 1 is set in the liquid feeding apparatus 20 described later.

Moreover, the shape of the bottom part 15 is a shape matched to the inclination of the ceiling part 7 so that it may be placed on the ceiling part 7 laid underneath stably, and a part of the bottom part 15 is raised, and the ceiling part 7 is attached to the ceiling part 7. It is good also as a shape which has a foot-shaped part to contact.

The support 3 is preferably formed of the above-mentioned material recyclable thermoplastic resin.

In addition, if the diameter of the curved surface of the round bottom part 6 of the container main body 2 is made small, the liquid 17 will collect easily in the lowest part, but since the height of the support stand 3 needs to be made high, Form in harmony. As an example, it is preferable to form the curved surface of the rounded bottom portion 6 at a radius of about 1 to 30 times the radius of the trunk portion 5. Or it is preferable to form in the rounded bottom part 6 so that the lowest part of the rounded bottom part 6 and the lower end of a fuselage part may have a fall of 3 to 300 mm, preferably about 5 to 100 mm.

Moreover, you may provide the handle for holding at the time of conveyance in the ceiling part 7 of the container main body 2. As shown in FIG. In this case, the handle is formed to be stored in the penetrating portion 9 of the support 3 when the liquid container 1 is stacked and wrapped. The handle is preferably foldable.

The liquid container 1 is filled with a predetermined amount of liquid 17, and the stopper 16 is screwed into the discharge port 8 to seal the liquid 17.

Next, the liquid delivery apparatus and liquid delivery method of this invention are demonstrated, referring FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG.

The liquid feeding device 20 has a liquid container 1 set therein to feed liquid 17, and has a pedestal 31, a liquid feeding adapter 21, and a blocking member 34 as shown in FIG. Doing.

The pedestal 31 is for placing the liquid container 1 and fits snugly into the penetrating portion 9 of the liquid container 1 on a metal plate body, and at the same time, the round bottom portion of the container body 2 ( The cylindrical projection part 32 which contacts the at least outermost outer wall of 6) is provided. The upper surface part (upper part of the figure) of the projection part 32 is formed in the flat shape as shown in the same figure, or in the shape which recessed in the curved surface so that the round bottom part 6 may fit snugly. Since the shape in which the curved surface was recessed can support the container main body 2 by surface, it is preferable. As shown in the figure, the height of the protrusion part 32 from the upper part of the base is made into the height which the bottom part 15 of the liquid container 1 floats from the base 31, or the bottom part 15 is attached to the base 31. It may be made to be the height close to the contact. The diameter of the projection 32 is preferably a diameter that fits snugly into the penetrating portion 9 in view of the positioning of the liquid container 1, but may be a diameter smaller than the penetrating portion 9 at least.

The blocking member 34 shown in FIG. 2 is movably supported by the rotary shaft 35 with a fixing mechanism to the support part 33 which is installed upright from the pedestal 31. In the blocking member 34, the fixing mechanism of the rotating shaft 35 is capable of fixing its movement at a position in contact with the upper portion of the liquid feed adapter 21 fitted to the discharge port 8. The fixed shaft release button (not shown) is provided in the rotating shaft 35, and by operating this button, the blocking member 34 becomes movable again. As the fixing mechanism of the blocking member 34, various known mechanisms can be used.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the blocking member 34 has a stopper 36 in which a through hole portion 36a for passing the pressure connector 30 to be described later is formed. As an example, the stopper 36 is formed by bending a metal bar or connected by welding or the like, and has a through hole portion 36a formed in a U-shape, and a blocking member from each end thereof. It is formed in the shape which has the support rod material extended to the side surface of 34. This stopper 36 is reliably fixed to the side wall of the blocking member 34. The stopper 36 does not interfere with the liquid feed adapter 21 when the blocking member 34 is rotated, and the through hole 36a touches the pressure connector 30 to suppress the rotation of the blocking member 34. It is installed at the position to be. In addition, as long as the through-hole part 36a is a shape which can pass the press connector 30, the ring shape formed by bending the bar material in an annular shape may be sufficient, and the flat hole shape with a hole part may be sufficient as it. Especially when formed in the U-shape shown, since the upper side is open | released, since the attachment / detachment work of the pressurized connector 30 can be performed easily, it is preferable.

In addition, the blocking member 34 has a positioning pin 37.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid feed adapter 21 is provided with a female screw, and is capable of sealing the outlet 8 of the liquid container 1. The liquid feed adapter 21 includes a gas supply port 25, a liquid feed pipe 23, a pressure gauge 26, a safety valve 27, and a manual valve 28.

3 and 4, the liquid feed adapter 21 has a cylindrical fitting portion 21a fitted to the discharge port 8, a liquid supply pipe 23, a gas supply port 25 and a pressure gauge. The cylindrical pipe support 2b supporting the pipe connected to the back has airtightness, and the pipe support 2lb is rotatably coupled to the fitting portion 21a in the axial direction thereof.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the pipe support part 2lb of the liquid feed adapter 21 has the upper surface formed flat, and the positioning pin 37 of the blocking member 34 in a part of the upper surface. The positioning groove 24 to be fitted is formed. As an example, in the positioning groove 24, the groove end portion is opened in the cylindrical side wall of the pipe support 2lb, and the groove width into which the positioning pin 37 is fitted along the direction from the cylindrical side wall toward the cylindrical central axis. Thus, it is formed to the position just before reaching the liquid feed pipe 23.

The positioning groove 24 and the positioning pin 37 are examples of the positioning mechanism of the present invention, and the positioning grooves 24 are positioned at positions where the blocking member 34 contacts the upper portion of the liquid feed adapter 21. When the positioning pin 37 is fitted at the position, the direction of the pipe support portion 2lb with respect to the blocking member 34 is uniquely defined to define the position of the gas supply port 25 with respect to the blocking member 34. It is. Specifically, when the positioning groove 24 and the positioning pin 37 are fitted, the pressure connector 30 in the state where the pressure connector 30 has passed through the through hole portion 36a of the stopper 36. The position of the blocking member 34 and the gas supply port 25 is defined so that the gas supply port 25 and the gas supply port 25 can be connected to each other. In place of the positioning groove 24, a hole that can be fitted to the positioning pin 37 may be formed in the pipe support 2lb.

The gas supply port 25 is comprised so that the pressurization connector 30 connected to the pressurization source 29 via an internal pressure hose can be connected, and is a supply port of the gas into the container main body 2. The pressurizing connector 30 is equipped with the safety valve mechanism, and is provided with the opening valve which opens a gas to the outer space, when an accidental attempt is made to take out from the gas supply port 25 when gas pressure remains.

The pressurization source 29 is air in which an inert gas (such as nitrogen gas) or fine particles is removed from a gas cylinder as shown in FIG. 3 or a gas supply device including a gas generator, a pressure reducing regulator, a gas tank, etc., not shown. Is supplied at a pressure of 200 kPa, preferably at a pressure of 10 kPa to 200 kPa, more preferably at a pressure of 10 kPa to 50 kPa.

The liquid supply pipe 23 is located near the end (lowest part) of the round bottom part 6 in the container main body 2 at the bottom, and the end 23a is located outside the container main body 2. The tip 23b is fixed to the liquid feed adapter 21 so as to be drawn out. Specifically, the liquid feed pipe 23 is fixed at a position substantially coincident with the central axis of the pipe support 2lb. The distal end 23a of the liquid feed pipe 23 is preferably fixed to the liquid feed adapter 21 so as to be as close as possible to the distance from the bottom of the round bottom 6, for example, 1 to 3 mm. Fix so that the distance of. The connection connector 39 for pipe connection is attached to the tip portion 23b of the liquid supply pipe 23.

The pressure gauge 26 is a measuring device for monitoring the internal pressure of the container main body 2. The safety valve 27 discharges gas to the outside when the pressure in the container main body 2 becomes higher than a prescribed value. The manual valve 28 is normally closed, is manually operated as needed, and discharges gas to outer space.

Next, the method and operation of the liquid feeding device 20 and the liquid feeding method of the liquid 17 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid container 1 filled with the liquid 17 is placed so that the penetrating portion 9 is fitted into the protrusion 32 of the pedestal 31. As a result, the liquid container 1 is easily positioned on the pedestal 31. Next, if the stopper 16 is attached to the liquid container 1, it is removed and the liquid feed adapter 21 is attached to the discharge port 8.

As a result, the distal end 23a of the liquid feed pipe 23 of the liquid feed adapter 21 is inserted into the vicinity of the bottom of the round bottom 6, and the tip end 23b of the liquid feed pipe 23 is placed outside the container. Derived.

Next, the blocking member 34 is pressed firmly on the upper portion of the liquid feed adapter 21 to fix it. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the pipeline support part 2lb is rotated, and the positioning pin 37 of the blocking member 34 is fitted to the positioning groove 24 of the liquid feed adapter 21. As shown in FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, in the state in which the directions of the blocking member 34 and the liquid feed adapter 21 are easily and uniquely matched, the protrusions 32 and the blocking member 34 of the pedestal 31 are formed. By this, the upper and lower sides of the container main body 2 are fitted. In addition, the stopper 36 moves with the rotation of the blocking member 34 to approach the gas supply port 25 so that the through hole portion 36a of the stopper 36 moves the axis of the gas supply port 25. Positioned to pass through.

Next, the pressurizing connector 30 of the pressurization source 29 in which gas supply is stopped is attached to the gas supply port 25. At this time, since the gas supply port 25 is positioned, the pressure connector 30 is inevitably connected to the gas supply port 25 through the through hole portion 36a of the stopper 36.

The photoresist sprinkling apparatus 50 is connected to the connection connector 39 of the liquid supply pipe 23 through an internal pressure hose as an example. The photoresist spreading device 50 includes a buffer tank 51, a pump 52, a filter 53, a three-way valve 54, and a discharge nozzle 55 to apply a photoresist liquid to a semiconductor wafer (not shown). It is discharged.

Subsequently, when the regulator of the pressurization source 29 is opened and gas is supplied, the gas flows into the container main body 2, and a pressure is applied to the liquid level of the liquid 17. The liquid 17 is sent out and sent to the photoresist spreading device 50. At this time, although the force in the direction of expansion by the gas pressure acts on the container main body 2, since the container main body 2 is formed of resin with a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa, since it does not cause damage etc., it is safe.

In addition, even if the pressure of the gas is high, 200 kPa, bubbles are hardly generated in the liquid 17 to be fed. Since generation | occurrence | production of a bubble is small, so that the pressure of gas is low, it is preferable to make pressure into 10 Pa-50 Pa, for example.

Since the container main body 2 and the liquid feed adapter 21 are prescribed | regulated in the up-down direction by the projection part 32 and the blocking member 34, the deformation in the up-down direction is prevented. For this reason, the distance between the distal end 23a of the liquid feed pipe 23 and the round bottom 6 is not widened, and the state in which it is close is maintained. Therefore, even if the residual amount of the liquid 17 decreases, the liquid 17 collected in the center portion of the round bottom 6 can be almost fed.

Finally, as shown in the right circle in FIG. 3, the liquid 17 that coagulates further below the position of the distal end 23a is almost fed by the surface tension and the gas pressure of the liquid 17. The remaining amount of (17) becomes very small. For this reason, the remaining amount of the liquid 17 becomes 0.5% or less of the storage capacity of the liquid container 1.

The used liquid container 1 is opened by releasing the locking member 34 holding the liquid feed adapter 21 and rotating upward, but when the liquid container 1 is opened under pressure, the liquid container 1 together with the liquid container 1 at a residual pressure. The feed adapter 21 pops out, exposing the worker to danger. However, since the pressurizing connector 30 is mounted through the through hole portion 36a of the stopper 36, the stopper 36 is placed under the pressurizing connector 30 even when the stopper member 34 is rotated upward. The rotation is suppressed by touching. Therefore, since the liquid feed adapter 21 can be reliably prevented from popping out with the residual pressure, a very safe device can be obtained. The used liquid container 1 cannot be taken out by causing the blocking member 34 to spring upward unless the pressure connector 30 is utilized to remove the safety lock mechanism.

The used liquid container 1 recycles (recycles) the material as a plastic raw material. The support 3 may be washed and reused as it is. In addition, depending on the kind of the liquid 17 to be filled, the container body 2 may be washed and reused.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when using the liquid feed adapter 21 with which the gas supply port 25 is mounted upwards (upper part of the figure), the blocking member 34 is attached to the upper part of the liquid feed adapter 21. As shown in FIG. In the contacted state, the stopper 36 is fixed to the side surface of the blocking member 34 so that the U-shaped through hole portion 36a is in the direction passing the axis line of the gas supply port 25. In this case, the through-hole portion 36a is formed to have a size that allows the connecting portion 30a of the pressure adapter 30 shown in the drawing to pass, but does not allow the main body portion 30b to pass therethrough.

In this liquid feeding apparatus 20, as shown by the dashed-dotted arrow in the figure, the stopper 36 rotates with the rotation of the blocking member 34. As shown in FIG. In the state where the blocking member 34 is brought into contact with and fixed to the liquid supply adapter 21, the axis line is passed near the gas supply port 25, and the through hole portion 36a is slightly above the gas supply port 25. Located. The connecting portion 30a of the pressure connector 30 is passed through the through hole portion 36a to be connected to the gas supply port 25. As a result, the main body 30b of the pressure connector 30 is located above the through hole 36a. In this state, even if the blocking member 34 is to be released and rotated upward, the through hole portion 36a touches and restrains the main body portion 30b of the pressure adapter 30. Therefore, since the blocking member 34 is prevented from moving upward while the pressure connector 30 is mounted, the liquid feed adapter 21 is not protruded by the residual pressure and is safe.

In addition, an example in which a male screw is formed in the outlet 8 of the liquid container 1, a female screw is formed in the stopper 16 and the liquid feed adapter 21, and the screw is coupled to each other has been described, but gas is discharged from the outlet 8. If it can seal without leaking, it is not limited to this, For example, you may join by inserting.

Example

The liquid container 1 and the liquid feeding apparatus 20 which apply this invention were produced as a prototype. The container body 2 uses a high-density polyethylene resin (density 0.955 g / cm 3, melt index 0.15 g / 10 min) having a flexural modulus of 920 MPa, and the support 3 is a linear low density polyethylene resin (density 0.938 g / cm 3). 20 L of containers were formed using a melt index of 3.8 g / 10 min). The average plate | board thickness of the container main body 2 was 3 mm, and the plate | board thickness of the support stand 3 was 3 mm. The container main body 2 formed the radius 150mm of the fuselage | body part 5, the length 300mm of the fuselage | body part 5, and the round bottom part 6 into the curved surface of radius 2,253mm. The liquid feeding pipe 23 having an outer diameter of 6 mm was fixed to the liquid feeding adapter 21 so that the distance between the round bottom 6 and the distal end 23a was 5 mm. 20 L of water was filled in the liquid container 1, and it was set in the liquid feeding apparatus 20, and when it sent liquid at a gas pressure of 20 kPa, the residual amount of water remaining in the liquid container 1 was 10 ml.

20 L of water was filled in this liquid container 1, and three were piled up. No liquid container 1 was found to be damaged or deformed and could be stacked stably.

Separate liquid container 1 and liquid feeding device 20 to which the present invention is applied were manufactured as prototypes. The container body 2 is a high-density polyethylene resin (density 0.958 g / cm 3, melt index 0.35 g / 10 min) having a flexural modulus of 1370 MPa as the raw material of the inner layer, and a density of 1.19 g / cm 3 and a melt index 1.6 g / m of the raw material of the intermediate layer. 10 minutes, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin having an ethylene copolymerization ratio of 32 mol% and a raw material of the outer layer were made of a high-density polyethylene resin (density 0.957 g / cm 3, melt index 0.04 g / 10 min) of 1100 MPa, and the support (3) Was a linear low density polyethylene resin (density 0.938 g / cm 3, melt index 3.8 g / 10 min) to form a 4 liter container. The average plate | board thickness of the container main body 2 was 3 mm, and the plate | board thickness of the support stand 3 was 3 mm. The flexural modulus of the multilayer container at this time was 1150 MPa. The container main body 2 formed the radius 85mm of the trunk | drum 5, the overall height of the container 310mm (length 230mm of the trunk | drum 5), and the round bottom part 6 to the curved surface of radius 731mm. . The liquid feeding pipe 23 having an outer diameter of 6 mm was fixed to the liquid feeding adapter 21 so that the distance between the round bottom 6 and the distal end 23a was 3 mm. 4 L of water was filled into the liquid container 1, and it was set in the liquid feeding apparatus 20, and when it sent liquid at a gas pressure of 20 kPa, the residual amount of water remaining in the liquid container 1 was 8 ml.

The liquid container and the liquid feeding device of the present invention can be used in the field where high quality liquids are used regardless of the industrial manufacturing field, the pharmaceutical field and the food field, and the liquid feeding method of the present invention can be used.

1: liquid container 2: container body
3: support 5: fuselage
6: round bottom 7: ceiling
7a: ridge 8: outlet
9: penetrating part 11: peripheral groove
12: projection 13: outer cylindrical portion
14: inner cylindrical portion 15: bottom portion
16: plug 17: liquid
18: holder 20: feeding device
21: liquid feed adapter 21a: fitting
2 lb: Pipe support 23: Feeding pipe
23a: distal end 23b: distal end
24: positioning groove 25: gas supply port
26: pressure gauge 27: safety valve
28: manual valve 29: pressure source
30: pressure connector 30a: connection portion
30b: main body 31: pedestal
32: protrusion 33: holding portion
34: blocking member 35: rotating shaft
36: stopper 36a: through hole
37: positioning pin 39: connector
50: photoresist spreader 51: buffer tank
52: pump 53: filter
54: 3-way valve 55: discharge nozzle

Claims (8)

A thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa is blow molded, and has a round bottom portion in a substantially cylindrical body portion, and is formed on the ceiling with the body portion and concentric outlets to accommodate liquids. A liquid container comprising: a container body detachable from a plug at the outlet and a support made of resin fitted to the round bottom side of the fuselage to freely hold the container body;
The container body is formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin in which impurity fine particles are not leached in a liquid at least at an inner surface of a predetermined reference value or more,
When the plurality of the liquid containers are stacked, the support is provided with a through portion that can receive the outlet with the plug of the container body stacked below, and a bottom portion that can be fitted to the ceiling of the container body stacked below is formed. There is a liquid container.  The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the resin forming one or both of the container body and the support is a material recycleable resin. A liquid feeding device for supplying a liquid in the liquid container by setting the liquid container according to claim 1 or 2,
A pedestal having a protrusion in which the liquid container is placed, the protrusion penetrating into the through portion of the support and contacting the round bottom of the container body;
A gas supply port for supplying gas into the container body by being connected to a pressurization source having a pressure of up to 200 kPa, and a distal end located near the bottom of the round bottom portion in the container body, the leading end being outside the container body. A liquid feeding adapter having a liquid feeding pipe from which is drawn, the liquid feeding adapter being replaceable with the stopper and detachable to the outlet and sealing the container body; And
And a stopper member movably installed on the support portion installed upright from the pedestal, the stopper member capable of fixing the movement at a position in contact with the upper portion of the liquid feed adapter fitted to the discharge port. The liquid feeding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gas supply port is connected to a pressurization source having a pressure of 10 kPa to 50 kPa.  The said gas supply port is formed so that the pressurization connector connected to the said pressurization source is connectable, The said stop member is the said pressurization connector in the state which contacted the upper part of the said liquid feed adapter, The said gas supply port of Claim 3 or 4 And a stopper which touches the pressure connector and suppresses the movement of the blocking member when the gas supply port is connected to the gas supply port. 6. The liquid feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the blocking member and the liquid feeding adapter are each provided with a positioning mechanism that is fitted with each other to define a position of the gas supply port with respect to the blocking member. Filling a liquid into the liquid container according to claim 1;
Inserting the distal end of the liquid feed pipe to the vicinity of the lowest end of the rounded bottom, leading the distal end to the outside, and inserting the upper and lower sides of the container body of the liquid container;
Supplying a gas having a pressure of up to 200 kPa in the liquid container; And
A liquid feeding method characterized by discharging liquid from the liquid container. The liquid feeding method according to claim 7, wherein the pressure of the gas is 10 kPa to 50 kPa.

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