KR20160072500A - Deaeration apparatus and apparatus for coating a membrane including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a deaeration device and a membrane coating apparatus including the same. The membrane coating apparatus includes: a first container for accommodating a coating liquid; a second container placed below the first container; a vacuum pump connected to the second container and forming a space between the first and second containers into a vacuum chamber; and a membrane transporting unit transporting a band-shaped membrane such that the membrane is immersed in the coating liquid in the first container. At least a part of the first container is formed of a porous material so that bubbles in the coating liquid are discharged through the vacuum chamber.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a defoaming apparatus and a membrane coating apparatus including the same,

The present invention relates to a defoaming apparatus and a membrane coating apparatus including the defoaming apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a defoaming device for removing bubbles from a protective liquid used to protect a membrane to which a diagnostic reagent is applied, and a membrane coating apparatus for coating the membrane with the protective liquid.

Recently, diagnostic kits for diagnosing diseases such as hepatitis, diabetes, anemia, hyperlipemia, AIDS, etc., or pregnancy by using body fluids such as urine and blood have been widely used. The diagnostic kit may include a diagnostic strip capable of diagnosing disease or pregnancy using the body fluid.

The diagnostic strip may include a base card made of plastic and a bonding pad, an absorbent pad, a membrane pad, a sample pad, etc., which are adhered to the base card through an adhesive. The membrane pad may be coated with a diagnostic reagent for determining the disease or pregnancy, and the membrane pad coated with the diagnostic reagent may be protected by a protective agent.

The diagnostic reagent may be applied using a nozzle on the membrane while continuously conveying the membrane in the form of a strip using a supply roller and a collection roller. In addition, the membrane to which the diagnostic reagent is applied as described above may be transported through the protective agent solution contained in the container, whereby the protective agent solution may be coated on the membrane. However, the coating of the membrane by the protective chemical liquid can be made non-uniform by the bubbles in the protective chemical liquid. As a result, there is a possibility that the diagnostic reagent applied on the membrane is contaminated, thereby possibly causing an error in the judgment of the disease or pregnancy.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0086985 (published on August 06, 2012) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0088342 (published on August 08, 2012)

It is an object of the present invention to provide a defoaming device capable of removing bubbles in a liquid and a membrane coating device capable of uniformly applying a coating liquid on a membrane using the defoaming device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a defoaming apparatus including a first container for containing a liquid, a second container disposed below the first container, a second container connected to the second container, And a vacuum pump for forming a space between the first container and the second container into a vacuum chamber. In particular, at least a portion of the first vessel may be made of a porous material for discharging bubbles in the liquid through the vacuum chamber.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the first container may have a lower opening, and the lower opening may be closed by a cover made of the porous material.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the first container may include an inner container made of a porous material and an outer container having openings for discharging the bubbles through the inner container and supporting the inner container .

According to embodiments of the present invention, the defoaming device may further comprise a dissolved oxygen sensor for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen in the liquid.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the defoaming device may further include a vacuum container having a bottom opened form and the open bottom disposed to be immersed in the liquid. At this time, the inside of the vacuum container may be provided with vacuum pressure to remove the bubbles.

According to embodiments of the present invention, in order to form the internal space of the vacuum container into the second vacuum chamber, the vacuum container may be connected to the vacuum pump or a separate second vacuum pump.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a membrane coating apparatus including a first container for containing a coating liquid, a second container disposed below the first container, A vacuum pump for forming a space between the first container and the second container into a vacuum chamber and a membrane transferring unit for transferring the membrane so that the strip-shaped membrane is immersed in the coating liquid in the first container. In particular, at least a portion of the first container may be made of a porous material for discharging bubbles in the coating liquid through the vacuum chamber.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane transfer part may include a supply roller for supplying the membrane, a collection roller for collecting the membrane, and a transfer path for supplying the membrane to the membrane so that the membrane is immersed in the coating solution Guide rollers.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane transferring unit may further include a second guide roller disposed between the collection roller and the guide roller to change a transport path of the membrane.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the first container may have a lower opening, and the lower opening may be closed by a cover made of the porous material. At this time, the guide roller is preferably disposed adjacent to the cover.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane coating apparatus may further include a dissolved oxygen sensor for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen in the coating liquid, and the dissolved oxygen sensor is disposed in the first container so as to be adjacent to the cover .

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane coating apparatus may further include a vertical driving unit for moving the guide roller in a vertical direction.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the first container may include an inner container made of a porous material and an outer container having openings for discharging the bubbles through the inner container and supporting the inner container .

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane coating apparatus may further include a vacuum container having an open bottom shape and arranged such that the open bottom is immersed in the coating liquid. At this time, the inside of the vacuum container may be provided with vacuum pressure to remove the bubbles.

According to embodiments of the present invention, in order to form the internal space of the vacuum container into the second vacuum chamber, the vacuum container may be connected to the vacuum pump or a separate second vacuum pump.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane coating apparatus may further include a vertical driving unit for vertically moving the vacuum container.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane coating apparatus may further include a heater disposed adjacent to the transfer path of the membrane and drying the membrane.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the membrane is coated with a diagnostic reagent, and the coating liquid may be a protective liquid for protecting the membrane to which the diagnostic reagent is applied.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, the defoaming device includes a first container in which a liquid such as a protective agent is received, a second container disposed under the first container, And at least a part of the first container may be made of a porous material so that bubbles in the protective solution can be discharged through the vacuum chamber.

In addition, the membrane coating apparatus including the defoaming apparatus may include a membrane conveyance unit for conveying the membrane to pass the protective agent solution in the first vessel.

Since the bubbles in the protective agent solution can be sufficiently removed through the vacuum chamber while the membrane passes through the protective agent solution, the coating of the protective agent solution can be made very uniform. As a result, the diagnostic reagent applied on the membrane can be sufficiently protected, thereby greatly improving the reliability of the judgment on diseases or pregnancy or the like using body fluids.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a defoaming device and a membrane coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view for explaining another example of the first container shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams for explaining a defoaming apparatus and a membrane coating apparatus including the defoaming apparatus according to other embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in various other forms. The following examples are provided so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the scope of the present invention, rather than being provided so as to enable the present invention to be fully completed.

In the embodiments of the present invention, when one element is described as being placed on or connected to another element, the element may be disposed or connected directly to the other element, . Alternatively, if one element is described as being placed directly on another element or connected, there can be no other element between them. The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various items such as various elements, compositions, regions, layers and / or portions, but the items are not limited by these terms .

The terminology used in the embodiments of the present invention is used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Furthermore, all terms including technical and scientific terms have the same meaning as will be understood by those skilled in the art having ordinary skill in the art, unless otherwise specified. These terms, such as those defined in conventional dictionaries, shall be construed to have meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the related art and the description of the present invention, and are to be interpreted as being ideally or externally grossly intuitive It will not be interpreted.

Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to schematic illustrations of ideal embodiments of the present invention. Thus, changes from the shapes of the illustrations, e.g., changes in manufacturing methods and / or tolerances, are those that can be reasonably expected. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific shapes of the regions described in the drawings, but include deviations in the shapes, and the elements described in the drawings are entirely schematic and their shapes Is not intended to describe the exact shape of the elements and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a defoaming device and a membrane coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, a defoaming device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be used to remove bubbles in a liquid. For example, a body fluid such as urine or blood can be used to produce a diagnostic kit used for diagnosing a disease such as hepatitis, diabetes, anemia, hyperlipidemia, AIDS, etc. or pregnancy.

In particular, the diagnostic kit may include a diagnostic strip coated with a diagnostic reagent for diagnosing the disease or pregnancy. Specifically, the diagnostic strip may be provided with a membrane pad coated with the diagnostic reagent. The membrane pad may be obtained by applying the diagnostic reagent to the membrane-shaped membrane 20 and then cutting the membrane into a predetermined size.

The defoaming device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be used to remove bubbles from a coating liquid for protecting the membrane 20 to which the diagnostic reagent is applied.

The defoaming device 100 includes a first container 110 for containing a protective chemical solution 10 used as the coating liquid, a second container 120 disposed below the first container 110, And a vacuum pump 130 connected to the first container 110 and the second container 120 to form a space between the first container 110 and the second container 120 as a vacuum chamber 115. Particularly, at least a part of the first container 110 may be made of a porous material for discharging bubbles in the protective chemical liquid 10 into the vacuum chamber 115.

For example, the first container 110 may have a bottom opening as shown, and the bottom opening may be closed by a cover 112 made of the porous material. As an example, the cover 112 may be made of a porous ceramic.

The space between the first and second containers 110 and 120, that is, the inner space of the second container 120 closed by the first container 110, is connected to the vacuum chamber 130 The bubble in the protective chemical liquid 10 may be discharged through the porous cover 112 and the vacuum chamber 115. [

Meanwhile, the porosity and pore size of the porous cover 112 and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 115 are appropriately regulated so that only the bubbles are allowed to pass through the porous cover 112 and the protective chemical solution 10 does not pass therethrough. .

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view for explaining another example of the first container shown in Fig. 1. Fig.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first container 110 may include an inner container 110A and an outer container 110B. The inner container 110A may be entirely made of a porous material and the outer container 110B may have openings 110C for supporting the inner container 110A and removing bubbles from the protective chemical liquid 10. [ . That is, the bubbles in the protective chemical liquid 10 may be discharged through the inner vessel 110A, the openings 110C of the outer vessel 110B, and the vacuum chamber 115. [

Referring again to FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the defoaming device 100 may include a dissolved oxygen sensor 140 for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen in the protective chemical solution 10, The operation of the vacuum pump 130 can be adjusted based on the dissolved oxygen amount measured by the oxygen sensor 140.

The vacuum pump 130 may be connected to the second container 120 through a vacuum line 132 and a pressure control valve 134 and a vacuum gauge 136 may be installed in the vacuum line 132. have.

The membrane coating apparatus 200 including the defoaming apparatus 100 described above may be applied to the membrane 20 having the strip shape together with the first container 110, the second container 120, the vacuum pump 130, And a membrane transferring part 210 for transferring the membrane 20 to be immersed in the protective agent solution 10 in the first container 110.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the membrane transfer part 210 includes a supply roller 212 for supplying the membrane 20, a collection roller 214 for recovering the membrane 20, And a guide roller 216 for providing a transfer path of the membrane 20 so that the membrane 20 may be immersed in the protective chemical solution 10. In particular, as shown, the guide roller 216 may be disposed in the first container 110 to be immersed in the protective chemical solution 10 during the transfer of the membrane 20, And can be conveyed via the guide roller 216.

Meanwhile, bubbles may be generated in the protective chemical liquid 10 while the membrane 20 is being transported through the protective chemical liquid 10. For example, air bubbles may be generated due to vortex and temperature changes generated in the protective chemical solution 10 by the transfer of the membrane 20, and bubbles generated at the upper portion of the membrane 20 may be directed upward And the bubbles generated from the lower portion of the membrane 20 can be discharged through the porous cover 112 and the vacuum chamber 115. In addition,

The bubbles attached to the upper surface of the membrane 20 conveyed through the protective chemical solution 10 can be removed from the upper surface of the membrane 20 by the guide roller 216, Can be discharged through the porous cover 112 and the vacuum chamber 115. For this purpose, the guide roller 216 is preferably disposed adjacent to the porous cover 112. That is, as shown in the drawing, the guide roller 216 is disposed adjacent to the upper portion of the porous cover 112.

In addition, the dissolved oxygen sensor 140 is preferably disposed adjacent to the porous cover 112. This is because the operation of the defoaming device 100 can be more effectively controlled by measuring the dissolved oxygen amount of the protective chemical solution 10 between the porous cover 112 and the guide roller 216.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, although not shown, the membrane coating apparatus 200 may include a vertical driving unit (not shown) for moving the guide roller 216 in a vertical direction. The vertical driving unit moves the guide roller 216 to the upper portion of the protective chemical solution 10 for replacement of the supply roller 212 and the recovery roller 214, May be used to immerse the guide roller 216 in the protective chemical solution 10. [ For example, the vertical driving unit may be configured using a pneumatic cylinder, but the configuration of the vertical driving unit may be variously changed, so that the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The membrane coating apparatus 200 further includes a second guide roller 218 disposed between the collection roller 214 and the guide roller 216 to change a conveyance path of the membrane 20, And a heater 220 disposed between the first guide roller 214 and the second guide roller 218 to dry the membrane 20. For example, the second guide roller 218 may transfer the membrane 20 in a horizontal direction, and the heater 220 may be disposed adjacent to the membrane 20.

As an example, ceramic heaters may be used to dry the membrane 20. In the meantime, although the heaters 220 are disposed on the upper and lower portions of the membrane 20 transferred between the second guide roller 218 and the collection roller 214, various types of heaters The range or the configuration of the heaters 220 may not limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams for explaining a defoaming apparatus and a membrane coating apparatus including the defoaming apparatus according to other embodiments of the present invention.

3 and 4, the defoaming device 100 may include a vacuum container 150 for removing air bubbles from the protective chemical liquid 10 .

The vacuum container 150 may have a bottom open shape, and the open bottom may be arranged to be immersed in the protective chemical liquid 10. In particular, the vacuum container 150 may be disposed above the guide roller 216.

Vacuum pressure for removing the bubbles may be provided inside the vacuum container 150. Although not shown in detail, the vacuum vessel 150 may be connected to a second vacuum pump (not shown) through a second vacuum line 152, so that the inner space of the vacuum vessel 150 is connected to a second vacuum And can function as a chamber 155. Alternatively, the second vacuum pipe 152 may be connected to the vacuum pump 130 through the second vacuum pipe 152 and the vacuum pipe 132.

As a result, the bubbles inside the protective chemical solution 10 are more efficiently discharged through the vacuum chamber 115 below the first container 110 and the second vacuum chamber 155 above the first container 110 .

The vacuum container 150 may be vertically movable together with the guide roller 216 by the vertical driving unit to replace the supply roller 212 and the collection roller 214.

According to embodiments of the present invention as described above, the defoaming device 100 includes a first container 110 in which a liquid such as the protective chemical solution 10 is received, a second container 110 disposed below the first container 110, 2 container 120 and a vacuum pump 130 for forming a space between the first and second containers 110 and 120 as a vacuum chamber 115 and the like, At least a part of the protective fluid 110 may be made of a porous material so that bubbles in the protective chemical solution 10 can be discharged through the vacuum chamber 115.

The membrane coating apparatus 200 including the defoaming device 100 may include a membrane transferring unit 210 for transferring the membrane 20 to pass the protective agent solution 10 in the first container 110 have.

The bubbles in the protective chemical solution 10 can be sufficiently removed through the vacuum chamber 115 while the membrane 20 passes through the protective chemical solution 10 so that the coating of the protective chemical solution 10 can be uniformly performed Lt; / RTI > As a result, the diagnostic reagent applied on the membrane 20 can be sufficiently protected, thereby greatly improving the reliability of judgment on disease or pregnancy or the like using body fluids.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

10: Protective drug solution 20: Membrane
100: defoaming device 110: first container
112: Cover 115: Vacuum chamber
120: Second container 130: Vacuum pump
140: Dissolved oxygen sensor 150: Vacuum container
155: Second vacuum chamber 200: Membrane coating apparatus
210: membrane feed portion 212: feed roller
214: collection roller 216: guide roller
218: second guide roller 220: heater

Claims (18)

A first container for containing liquid;
A second container disposed below the first container; And
And a vacuum pump connected to the second container and forming a space between the first container and the second container as a vacuum chamber,
Wherein at least a portion of the first vessel is made of a porous material for discharging bubbles in the liquid through the vacuum chamber. The defoaming device according to claim 1, wherein the first container has a lower opening, and the lower opening is closed by a cover made of the porous material. 2. The container according to claim 1,
An inner container made of a porous material; And
And an outer container having openings for discharging the bubbles through the inner container and supporting the inner container. The defoaming device according to claim 1, further comprising a dissolved oxygen sensor for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen in the liquid. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a vacuum container having a bottom open shape and arranged such that the open bottom is immersed in the liquid, wherein vacuum pressure is provided inside the vacuum container to remove the bubbles Characterized in that The defoaming device according to claim 5, wherein the vacuum container is connected to the vacuum pump or a separate second vacuum pump to form an internal space of the vacuum container as a second vacuum chamber. A first container for containing a coating liquid;
A second container disposed below the first container;
A vacuum pump connected to the second vessel and forming a space between the first vessel and the second vessel as a vacuum chamber; And
And a membrane transferring unit for transferring the membrane so that the membrane having a strip shape is immersed in the coating liquid in the first container,
Wherein at least a portion of the first container is made of a porous material for discharging bubbles in the coating liquid through the vacuum chamber. [8] The membrane module of claim 7,
A supply roller for supplying the membrane;
A recovery roller for recovering the membrane; And
And a guide roller for providing a transport path of the membrane so that the membrane is immersed in the coating solution. The membrane coating apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a second guide roller disposed between the collection roller and the guide roller for changing a transport path of the membrane. The membrane coating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first container has a lower opening, the lower opening is closed by a cover made of the porous material, and the guide roller is disposed adjacent to the cover. The membrane coating apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a dissolved oxygen sensor disposed in the first vessel so as to be adjacent to the cover and for measuring the dissolved oxygen amount in the coating liquid. The membrane coating apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a vertical driving unit for moving the guide roller in a vertical direction. 8. The container according to claim 7,
An inner container made of a porous material; And
And an outer container having openings for discharging the bubbles through the inner container and supporting the inner container. The vacuum degassing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a vacuum container having an open bottom and arranged such that the open bottom is immersed in the coating liquid, wherein vacuum pressure is applied to the inside of the vacuum container to remove the bubbles Characterized by a membrane coating apparatus. 15. The membrane coating apparatus of claim 14, wherein the vacuum container is connected to the vacuum pump or a separate second vacuum pump to form an internal space of the vacuum container as a second vacuum chamber. 15. The membrane coating apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a vertical driving unit for moving the vacuum container in a vertical direction. 8. The membrane coating apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a heater disposed adjacent to the transfer path of the membrane for drying the membrane. The membrane coating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the membrane is coated with a diagnostic reagent, and the coating liquid is a protective agent for protecting the membrane coated with the diagnostic reagent.

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