Shimadzu Corporation

Yoshiaki Maeda

Kenichi Yasunaga

Masami Tomita

Shuzo Maruyama

Shinya Imamura

Keisuke Ogawa

Nobuyuki Tatsumi

Takafumi Nakamura

Takaaki Fujita

Yoshihiro Hayakawa

Kenichi Yasunagi

An analyzer control systemfor monitoring and controlling an analyzerincludes: a plurality of sensors for detecting the condition of each component of the analyzer; a potential problem inference sectionfor receiving detection results obtained with all or part of the sensors and for inferring whether or not the analyzer is in a potentially problematic condition; and a potential problem display sectionfor showing, on a display screen, information on the potentially problematic condition. The 'potentially problematic condition' is neither a condition in which the analysis data being collected by the analyzer are unusable, nor a condition which requires deactivation of the analyzer; it is a condition in which the analyzing operation may be continued for the time being, although the analyzer is likely to soon fall into the aforementioned situations if the operation is further continued. The already collected data can be properly used.

Liquid chromatograph analyzer control system

A solvent delivery device includes a solvent delivery pump and a flow path switching valve. The flow path switching valve is connected to downstream ends of mobile phase sending flow paths and the solvent delivery pump is to be connected to one of the mobile phase sending flow paths by switching the flow path switching valve. At least one of the mobile phase sending flow paths includes a buffer solution sending flow path. The buffer solution sending flow path includes a butler solution storage section, a cleaning solution storage section, and a mobile phase switching valve for switching connection of the flow path switching valve to one of the storage sections.

Solvent delivery device and liquid chromatograph

A recess into which a protrusion of a plunger seal is to be fitted is provided at a part of a pump head where a plunger is to be inserted into a pump chamber. The plunger seal seals the pump chamber by an outer circumferential surface of the protrusion coming into close contact with an inner circumferential surface of the recess and a surface of a flange on the side of the protrusion coming into close contact with a circumferential edge surface of the recess of the pump head due to the protrusion being fitted into the recess and being pressed by a backup ring toward the pump chamber. The inner circumferential surface of the recess of the pump head and the circumferential edge surface of the recess are covered by a film of an acid-resistant material.

Liquid feed pump and liquid chromatograph

A base and a stator forming a housing are joined by a stator position adjustment member. The adjustment member is a ring-shaped member having an inner diameter that is equal to the outer forms of the base and the stator, and threads opposite to each other are provided to an upper portion and a lower portion of the inner circumferential surface, along the circumferential direction. A thread for being screwed with the thread is provided, in the circumferential direction, to each of an upper portion of an outer circumferential surface of the base and a lower portion of an outer circumferential surface of an outer wall member of the stator. When the adjustment member is rotated, the base and the stator move in the direction of separating from each other or in the direction of coming close to each other.

Flow path switching valve

According to an embodiment of an autosampler, a sample rack provided with a thermal conductive plate holder on whose upper surface a sample plate is to be set is set on a rack setting section. A cooling device for cooling the plate holder is provided. A plate detection section for detecting whether a sample plate is set on the plate holder of the sample rack that is set on the rack setting section is provided, and when a sample plate is not set on the plate holder of the sample rack that is set on the rack setting section, the output of the cooling device for cooling the plate holder is turned off.

Autosampler

Provided is a liquid-sample collecting system and liquid-sample collecting method that can decrease the amount of carryover in the process of collecting a liquid sample while maintaining the efficiency of collecting the liquid sample. A liquid-sample collecting system according to the present invention includes: a sampling needle to be inserted into a sample container, for collecting a liquid sample contained in the sample container; a driver for moving the sampling needle; an input unit for allowing a user enter to information for setting the ascent speed of the sampling needle; an ascent-speed determiner for setting the ascent speed based on the entered information; and a controller for controlling the driver so as to move the sampling needle downward at a predetermined descent speed in a descent phase and upward at the aforementioned ascent speed in an ascent phase.

Liquid-sample collecting system and liquid-sample collecting method

When a sealing member held in a cavity of a housing is pressed by a cap toward the bottom of the cavity, the side surface of the sealing member is inclined to laterally expand. As a result, in the opening-side portion of the sealing member, the side surface is strongly pressed on the wall surface of the cavity, causing a strong friction force at the contact surface, which prevents the pressing force applied from the opening side from being transmitted to the bottom side. Therefore, at the beginning of the pressing operation, the internal stress of the sealing member is higher in the opening-side portion than in the bottom-side portion. With the lapse of time from the beginning of the pressing operation, the opening-side portion of the sealing member under the higher internal stress gradually moves toward the bottom side against the friction force.

Sealing structure for liquid passage connection part

In injecting a sample sucked into a sample loop in an autosampler from an injection needle into an analytical flow path via an injection port by a mobile phase, a sending flow rate of the mobile phase is reduced from a certain flow rate determined in an analysis condition to reduce pressure applied on a joint section between the needle and the injection port to thereby reduce the sample remaining in the injection port.

Liquid chromatograph

An autosampler is provided with a needle, a measuring pump which sucks and discharges liquid through the needle, a movement mechanism for the needle, and an injection port which has a needle sealing surface. A sample liquid is sucked into the needle and then the sample liquid discharged with the tip of the needle pressed to the needle sealing surface. When cleaning the needle sealing surface, a cleaning liquid within the injection port is sucked and then the cleaning liquid is discharged and sucked into the injection port at a position at which the tip of the needle does not make contact with the needle sealing surface. Alternatively, after the cleaning liquid is discharged into the injection port, the needle may be caused to perform an up and down motion such that the tip of the needle contacts the needle sealing surface and then is lifted.

Autosampler with control unit for performing a cleaning operation

A sample injection portfor injecting a sample into a chromatograph or other devices is composed of a bodymade of an inelastic material, a first seal membermade of an elastic material and attached to one end of the body part, and a second seal membermade of an elastic material and attached to the other end of the body part. A first through hole formed in the first seal member, a second through hole formed in the second seal memberand a third through hole formed in the body partare coaxially connected to form an introduction hole for sample injection. With this construction, a sample injection port which has a small inner diameter, is easy to manufacture, and yet capable of achieving a high pressure resistance can be provided.

Sample injection port and auto-sampler having the same

A sample introduction device for reducing carry-over is provided. In the sample introduction device, when a high pressure valveis switched from a load status to an injection status in a total volume injection method, the communication between a stator hole d in communication with an injection portand a stator hole c connected to a flow path toward a separation/detection sectionoccurs earlier than the communication between a stator hole b in communication with a liquid feederand a stator hole a in communication with a needle. A length of a rotor groove Y communicating stator holes d and e or stator holes d and c is set longer than a length of another rotor groove X.

Sample introduction device

A pump portion for taking in and discharging solutions includes a first plunger pump with a small capacity and a second plunger pump with a large capacity. Intake ports of both the plunger pumps are connected in parallel to a common port of a switching valve with a first three-way valve interposed therebetween. The first three-way valve connects the intake port of one of the plunger pumps to the switching valve. Discharge ports of both the plunger pumps are connected in parallel to one port of the switching valve with a second three-way valve interposed therebetween. The second three-way valve connects the discharge port of one of the plunger pumps to the switching valve.

Automatic sampler for liquid chromatograph

After a sampling needle is moved to a position above a sample container, the sampling needle is moved down so that the tip of the sampling needle penetrates a septum, and is then preferably moved down to a position at which the tip of the sampling needle is not brought into contact with a sample contained in the sample container, and then, the sampling needle is once elevated until the sampling needle is pulled out of the septum, and is then again moved down to penetrate the septum until the tip of the sampling needle is inserted into the sample to suck the sample through a suction port of the sampling needle, and then, the sampling needle is moved to a sample injection port of an analyzer to inject the sample into the analyzer.

Automatic sampler and method for injecting sample

A sample introduction method for reducing carry-over is provided. After a sample introduction device in a total volume injection method draws a proper amount of a sample solution from a sample container and further draws a solution with the same composition as a mobile phase solution with a needle, the needleis inserted into an injection port. When flow paths are switched to communicate a liquid feeder, a sample loop, the needle, the injection port, and a separation/detection section, the solution with the same composition as the mobile phase solution is forced into a gap between the injection portand the needle. Therefore, the samples squeezed out of a tip section of the needleduring the switching of the flow paths are prevented from being forced into the gap between the needleand the injection port

Sample introduction method

An auto-sampler cleaning mechanism is provided, which is capable of maintaining the supply of a liquid in a non-time-consuming manner when a cleaning solution is supplied. The auto-sampler cleaning mechanism of the present invention includes: a sample-metering sample loophaving a sample-injecting needleat a front end thereof, a metering pump, a multi-ported valve, a multi-position valve, and a liquid-supply valve. A diaphragm pumpis disposed between the port of the multi-position valveand the port of the liquid-supply valve, and used to supply a cleaning solutionor a mobile phaseto the sample loop

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Yoshiaki Maeda