JPH0915131A - Mass change measurement device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] Even if the height or shape of the sample container changes, the transfer device does not need to be changed, and it is not necessary to use a heat-resistant material for the drive part of the transfer device, so it is inexpensive. A mass change measuring device that is easy to use is provided. [Structure] By adopting a structure in which the transport device 4 picks up and transports the sample container C from below, a chuck for holding the sample container C is not required, and the sample container C is transported with respect to changes in height and shape. It is not necessary to change the transfer device 4 including the tool 43, and it becomes possible to arrange all the drive units of the transfer device 4 outside the heating and drying chamber 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a heat-drying treatment of a sample to be measured and a measurement of the sample weight after drying in order to measure the amount or rate of volatile components including moisture contained in the sample to be measured. The present invention relates to a so-called mass change measuring device for automatically determining the difference or rate of sample weights before and after drying by performing the above step in a predetermined sequence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Volatile components such as water contained in a sample to be measured are measured by heating and drying the sample to be measured and then measuring the weight of the sample to calculate the difference or rate from the initial weight of the sample. Determining the amount or rate is frequently used, for example, in quality control of raw materials and products of pharmaceuticals, quality control of production lines of raw materials used for resin products such as latex, powder and pellets.

As a device for automatically measuring the mass change amount or rate of such a sample, a device called a mass change amount measuring device or a drying loss measuring device has been put into practical use. In order to automatically perform at least the heating and drying treatment of the sample to be measured and the weight measurement of the sample after the heating and drying, at least in this kind of apparatus, as shown in the longitudinal sectional view of FIG. A heating / drying chamber 51 provided with a door 51a, and a cooling chamber 52 adjacent to the heating / drying chamber 51 via the automatic opening / closing door 51a for cooling the heated and dried sample.
A weighing device 53 such as an electronic balance for measuring the weight of the sample after being left to cool, and a transfer device 54 for transferring the sample between the heating and drying chamber 51 and the leaving chamber 52, and between the leaving chamber 52 and the weighing device 53. Is equipped with.

Here, the sample W is generally transferred between the respective parts while being accommodated in the container C, and the transfer device 54 is opened and closed by, for example, air, and the chuck 54a capable of gripping the sample W accommodated in the container C. And a horizontal movement mechanism 54b including a feed screw mechanism for moving the chuck 54a among the heating and drying chamber 51, the cooling chamber 52, and the measuring device 53, and a feed screw mechanism for vertically moving the chuck 54a. It is constituted by a vertical movement mechanism 54c.

In addition, inside the heating / drying chamber 51 and the cooling chamber 52.
Turntables 51b and 52a are arranged therein, respectively, so that a plurality of samples can be uniformly heated and dried or allowed to cool, and the transfer mechanism 54 is operated based on a command from a control device (not shown). , In relation to the turning positions of the turntables 51b and 52a, the heating / drying chamber 51 is set according to a preset time and sequence.
The samples on the turntable 51b inside are individually cooled in the cooling chamber 52.
It is transferred to the turntable 52a in the inside of the cooling chamber 5
Samples on the turntable 52a in 2 are also individually transferred onto the weighing device 53. Furthermore, for the sample that has been weighed by the weighing device 53, the sample is put into the discarding unit 56 together with the container C via the slide 55 and the like. In order to automatically measure the weight of the sample before heating and drying, and to insert the sample into the heating and drying chamber 51 automatically, a weighing instrument for initial weight measurement and a sample between the weighing device and the heating and drying chamber are provided. There is also an apparatus that additionally includes a transfer mechanism that controls transfer.

[0006]

By the way, in the conventional mass change amount measuring apparatus as described above, when the sample container C is changed (especially when the height or the shape is changed), the transfer mechanism 54 is used.
In addition to the need to change the shape of the chuck 54a, it may be necessary to change the transport mechanism 54 itself. Further, since the chuck 54a is inserted into the heating / drying chamber 51 together with its driving mechanism, it is necessary to use a high temperature resistant material and mechanism, and there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and expensive. Furthermore, in the sample container C,
A lid C ′ may be attached as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, but in such a case, when the container C and the lid C ′ are separated and fall when being transferred while being gripped by the chuck 54a. There is also a problem that when the container C is made of a slippery material such as glass, the entire container C may slip off.

Further, in the conventional mass change measuring device, since the heating / drying chamber 51, the cooling chamber 52 and the measuring device 53 are arranged side by side, the inside of the heating / drying chamber 51 is opened when the door 51a is opened. Of the heat penetrates into the cooling chamber 52, and a part of the heat is transmitted to the periphery of the measuring device 53. The white arrow in the figure indicates this heat flow, which causes convection. When such convection exists, the measured value by the measuring device 53 becomes unstable. Further, in the cooling chamber 52, if the sample is not cooled to the same temperature as the atmosphere in the vicinity of the weighing pan of the weighing device 53, the air in the container C remains warm and a measurement error occurs due to the difference in buoyancy. For example, the container C has a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 20 mm.
In the case of 1, the difference between the air temperature in the container C and the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the measuring device 53 is only 1 ° C, and an error of 0.1 mg occurs in the measured value. However, in the presence of the above convection, it is difficult to eliminate the temperature difference between the atmosphere in the cooling chamber 52 and the atmosphere in the vicinity of the measuring device 53. Further, since the chambers and the like are arranged side by side in the lateral direction, the installation space is large, and when the sample W is manually inserted into the heating / drying chamber 51, the apparatus is mounted on a pedestal to improve the workability. It is necessary to place the heating drying chamber 51 on a predetermined height by placing it on the base 57, and in that case, the floor vibration of the installation place is magnified by the pedestal 57, and a large vibration is transmitted to the measuring instrument 53 to change the measured value. The problem arises.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. A first object of the present invention is to ensure that the sample container C can be surely changed without changing the transport mechanism even if the sample container C is changed. (EN) Provided is a mass change amount measuring device that can be transferred and does not need to use a high temperature resistant material or mechanism for a driving unit of a transfer mechanism, and is therefore inexpensive and capable of flexibly coping with a change in a container. Especially.

A second object of the present invention is to prevent heat and air convection in the heating / drying chamber from affecting the cooling chamber and the measuring device, and to maintain good workability without using a stand or the like. Further, it is possible to provide a mass change amount measuring device which is capable of accurately transmitting the amount of change in the mass because vibration is not easily transmitted to the measuring instrument and which requires a small installation space.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned first object, the mass change amount measuring apparatus of the first invention is a heating / drying chamber provided with an automatic opening / closing door 1a for taking in and out a sample W to be measured. 1, a cooling chamber 2 for allowing the sample after heating and drying to cool, and a scale 3 for measuring the weight of the sample after cooling.
In the mass change amount measuring device including the transport mechanism 4 for transporting the sample W to be measured between the heating / drying chamber 1 and the cooling chamber 2 and between the cooling chamber 2 and the measuring device 3, the transport mechanism 4 is The transfer of W is characterized by having a structure in which the sample W is picked up from below and transferred.

Further, in order to achieve the second object, the mass change amount measuring apparatus of the second invention is similar to the above, in the heating and drying chamber 1 having an automatic opening / closing door for taking in and out the sample to be measured.
A cooling chamber 2 for allowing the sample after heating and drying to cool, a weighing device 3 for measuring the weight of the sample after cooling, a space between the heating and drying chamber 1 and the cooling chamber 2, and a cooling chamber. In the mass change amount measuring device having the transport mechanism 4 for transferring the sample W to be measured between the measuring device 2 and the measuring device 3, the cooling chamber is provided below the heating and drying chamber 2 and the measuring device 3 is It is characterized by being provided below the cooling chamber 2 or at the same height as the cooling chamber 2.

[0012]

In the first aspect of the present invention, if the transport device 4 adopts a structure for picking up and transporting the sample W from below, a chuck for holding the sample W or the sample container C is not required, and the drive mechanism of the transport device 4 is Only the horizontal drive mechanism 4a and the vertical drive mechanism 4b are required, and therefore, all of the drive mechanisms of the transport device 4 can be arranged outside the heating / drying chamber 1. Further, by adopting the carrier device 4 for transferring the sample W or the container C by picking them up from below, it is not necessary to change the carrier device 4 in particular even if the height or shape of the sample container C is changed, and the carrier device 4 is made of glass. Even if the container is a container with a lid or a container with a lid, the risk of dropping or the like is reduced as compared with the method of gripping with a chuck.

In the second aspect of the present invention, according to the structure in which the cooling chamber 2 and the measuring device 3 are provided below the heating / drying chamber 1, the heat from the heating / drying chamber 1 is transmitted to the upper side, so that the heat is released. It is less likely to be transmitted to the chamber 2 and the measuring device 3, and even if convection occurs, it is very small at the installation position of the measuring device 3, and the heating and drying chamber 1 is located above the cooling chamber 2. Therefore, the height of the heating / drying chamber 1 can be increased to the extent that good workability is inevitably obtained without using a pedestal or the like, and the expansion and transmission of vibration to the measuring instrument 3 due to the pedestal can be eliminated. Further, the installation space is smaller than that of the conventional structure in which the heating and drying chamber 1, the cooling chamber 2 and the measuring device 3 are arranged side by side.

[0014]

1 is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. The heating and drying chamber 1 is kept at a constant temperature of about 200 ° C.,
The periphery thereof is covered with a heat insulating material, and an automatic opening / closing door 1a is provided on the side wall portion thereof. Below the heating / drying chamber 1, a cooling chamber 2 having an opening 2a on the same side surface as the automatic opening / closing door 1a is arranged. A measuring instrument 3 such as a so-called upper plate type electronic balance, in which a sample dish 3a for placing an object is located above, is arranged. This measuring instrument 3 has a base 1
0, and on its base 10, a slide 5 and a discarding unit 6 are arranged adjacent to the weighing machine 3. A case 11 is attached around the base 10 to cover the entire apparatus including the heating and drying chamber 1, the cooling chamber 2, the weighing machine, the slide 5, the discarding unit 6, and the transport device 4 described later. ing.

The heating and drying chamber 1 and the cooling chamber 2 are provided with turntables 1b and 2b, respectively. These turntables 1b and 2b have a common rotating shaft 7a and a single motor 7 is provided. Gives rotation.

The conveying device 4 has a vertical drive mechanism 41 using a feed screw mechanism, a vertical displacement by the vertical drive mechanism 41, and a horizontal drive mechanism 42 also using the feed screw mechanism. It is constituted by a carrier tool 43 which is given a displacement to. The vertical drive mechanism 41 will be described in detail. The vertical drive mechanism 41 is rotatably supported on the base 10 vertically and includes a motor.
The vertical screw shaft 41b to which rotation is given by the column screwed with the vertical screw shaft 41b, and the column 4 for preventing rotation.
It is configured by a nut 41d whose rotation is restricted by 1c. The horizontal drive mechanism 42 is a mechanism using a known feed screw mechanism like the vertical drive mechanism 41 as described above, and the details thereof will be omitted, but the point is that the horizontal screw shaft and its rotation drive mechanism, and its It is composed of nuts etc. that are displaced horizontally by the rotation of the horizontal screw shaft,
The transport tool 43 is fixed to the nut, and the entire horizontal drive mechanism 42 is supported by the nut 41d of the vertical drive mechanism 41.

The sample container C containing the sample W is scooped up from below by the transfer tool 43 of the transfer device 4, and is a turntable 1b in the heating / drying chamber 1 to a turntable 2b in the cooling chamber 2 to weighing. It is conveyed between the sample pan 3 a of the container 3 and the slide table 5. In order to enable scooping up of the sample container C by the transport tool 43, each turntable 1b,
A container support S for mounting a sample container C is provided on each of 2b and the sample dish 3a.

FIG. 2 is a main part perspective view showing the relationship between the container support tool S and the transport tool 43. The container support S is a sample container C
A horizontal horizontal plate portion H on which is mounted, and the horizontal plate portion H is supported in a state where the horizontal plate portion H is lifted by a certain dimension with respect to the upper surfaces of the turntables 1b and 2b or the sample dish 3a, and the lower side is bent horizontally. It is constituted by a vertical plate portion V fixed to the turntable 1b and the like, and a substantially cross-shaped hollow U is formed in the horizontal plate portion H, and the sample container C is a hollow plate of the horizontal plate portion H shown by a black portion in the figure. The bottom surface is supported around U. The transport tool 43 has a substantially cross shape capable of vertically penetrating the hollow portion U, and is configured to scoop up with the bottom surface of the sample container C placed on the top surface thereof. For example, the container support S on the turntable 1b in the heating / drying chamber 1
When lifting the sample container C placed on top,
By moving the transport tool 43 to the left in FIG. 1 to position it immediately below the hollow U formed in the gap formed between the horizontal plate portion H and the turntable 1b, and then raising it, the hollow U is removed.
Scoop up the sample container C via. When the sample container C is transferred to the container support S on the turntable 2b in the cooling chamber 2 in this state, the transfer tool 43 is moved rightward or downward in FIG. 1 and then the turntable 2b and the container support are moved. S
The transport tool 43 is moved to the left so as to be inserted into the space between them, positioned immediately below the hollow U, and then lowered. By such an operation, the sample container C can be scooped up by the transfer tool 43 and transferred between the turntable 1b in the heating and drying chamber 1 to the turntable 2b in the cooling chamber 2 to the sample pan 3a of the weighing device 3. Is. As for the slide 5,
If the cutouts U are formed on the slopes similarly to the container support tools S, the sample container C can be guided to the discarding section 6 by the same operation of the transport tool 43.

The first point to be particularly noted in the above embodiments is that the carrier device 4 scoops up the sample container C from below with the carrier tool 43, so that the heating and drying chamber 1 to the cooling chamber 3 to.
This is a point of transporting between the weighing device 3 and the discarding unit 6, and thus, even if the shape or height of the sample container C changes, the transport tool 43 is used.
There is almost no need to change the transport device 4 including
Even in the sample container C having the lid C ′ as shown in FIG. 6, a defect such as separation during the transportation is unlikely to occur, and the driving unit is inserted into the heating / drying chamber 1 because the chuck is not used. There is no need to use any high temperature resistant drive.

The second point of interest in the above embodiment is the layout in which the cooling chamber 2 is placed below the heating / drying chamber 1 and the measuring device 3 is placed below it. As a result, the heat in the heating and drying chamber 1 is less likely to be transferred to the cooling chamber 2 and the measuring device 3, and the convection due to the heat is less likely to reach the periphery of the measuring device 3 as a result. The sample W can be sufficiently cooled in the chamber 2, and at the same time, there is an advantage that the measurement result by the measuring device 3 does not change due to convection. Further, with this layout, the position of the heating / drying chamber 1 is inevitably high, so that it is not necessary to place the device on a frame or the like in order to improve workability, and vibration of the floor surface is enlarged in the weighing machine 3. Problems such as transmission are eliminated, and accurate weighing results can always be obtained. Further, this layout has an advantage that the area occupied by the device is reduced as compared with the conventional layout in which the respective parts shown in FIG. 5 are arranged side by side.
Furthermore, by adopting this layout, the turntables 1b and 2b of the heating and drying chamber 1 and the cooling chamber 2 can be fixed on the common rotating shaft 7a, and both can be rotated by using one motor 7. There is also an advantage.

Then, a combination of the above-mentioned first and second notable constitutions, that is, a constitution in which the sample container C is scooped up by the conveying tool 43 and conveyed, and a cooling chamber 2 and a measuring chamber below the heating / drying chamber 1 are provided. By the combination of the configurations in which the container 3 is provided, the vertical movement of the transport tool 43 by the vertical movement mechanism 41 of the transport device 4 is used for both the transfer operation between the respective parts of the sample container C and the loading / unloading operation of the sample container C. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of drive mechanisms by one as compared with the conventional device that holds the sample container by using the chuck.

In addition to the structure shown in FIG. 2, the structure of the container support S is, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, on the turntable 1b and other surfaces on which the container support S is to be arranged. , A plurality of frame-shaped supporting members S1 to S4 may be fixed, and the sample container C may be supported by the portions of the respective frame-shaped supporting members S1 to S4 indicated by black portions in the drawing.
It is possible to use a carrier tool 43 equivalent to that shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the container support S is not provided, and, for example, a spot facing P is formed at the container mounting position of the member on which the sample container C such as the turntable 1b is to be placed, and The counterbore P may be partially notched to form a notch U ′ that reaches the end edge of the turntable 1b or the like. In this case, the transport tool 43 may be shaped so as to pass through the notch U ′ in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Further, on the contrary, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), a member such as the turntable 1b on which the sample container is to be mounted is provided with a projection D projecting outward from the end edge thereof, and the projection D is provided on the upper surface thereof. The sample container C is placed on the projection D
The width may be set such that both sides of the container C protrude from both side edges of the protrusion D when the sample container C is mounted. In this case, as shown in the figure, the carrier tool 43 includes two fingers 43a, which are spaced apart by a distance such that the protrusion D fits thereinto.
It may be a fork-shaped one having 43b.

Further, the sample container C is picked up from below by the carrier tool 43 and carried, so that it is not necessary to change the carrier tool 43 even if the shape or height of the sample container C is slightly changed, but the diameter is extremely large. When a small container is used, it may be necessary to change the dimensions of the hollow U of the container support S. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 4, if the sample container C is placed on the container table T and the sample container C is transported together with the table T, even in the above case, no dimensional change or the like occurs. You can eliminate the need. The use of such a container base T is made possible by the transport device 4
It should be noted that this is because the configuration adopts the configuration in which the sample container C is picked up from below by the carrier tool 43 and carried.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the measuring device 3 is provided below the cooling chamber 2 is shown, but the measuring device 3 is provided in the cooling chamber 2.
Even if it is arranged at the same height as the above, specifically, substantially in the cooling chamber 2, the heat from the heating / drying chamber 1 is less likely to reach the periphery of the measuring device 3, and the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. Can play. In this case, the room in which the scale 3 is arranged in FIG. 1 is unnecessary.

In the above embodiment, the feed screw mechanism is used as the vertical moving mechanism 41 and the horizontal mechanism 42 of the carrying device 4, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Needless to say, a known linear movement mechanism such as a belt drive mechanism or an air drive mechanism can be adopted.

Needless to say, a so-called swing mechanism may be employed in place of the horizontal movement mechanism 42 to rotate the carrier tool 43 around a vertical axis.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the transport device for transporting the sample contained in the container between the heating / drying chamber-cooling chamber-measuring instrument is provided from the bottom of the container. Since it is configured to be picked up and conveyed, it is possible to arrange all the driving parts of the conveying device outside the heating and drying chamber, and it is not necessary to adopt a heat-resistant material or mechanism for the driving part of the conveying device. Even if the height or shape of the container is changed to some extent, it is not necessary to change the transfer device including the transfer tool for directly scooping the container, and an inexpensive and easy-to-use mass change amount measuring device can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the cooling chamber is arranged below the heating / drying chamber and the measuring device is provided below the cooling chamber or at the same height, The heat in the heating and drying chamber is less likely to be transferred to the cooling chamber and the surroundings of the measuring instrument, and is also less likely to be affected by convection due to the heat, and the sample can be sufficiently cooled to avoid the influence of buoyancy. Variations in the measured value due to the air flow are unlikely to occur, and it is possible to always measure the accurate mass. Also, by adopting a layout in which each part is arranged vertically, the height of the heating and drying chamber is inevitably increased, and the work of inserting the sample into the heating and drying chamber is performed like the conventional horizontal layout. This eliminates the need to take measures such as placing the device on a pedestal in order to improve its performance, and the vibration from the floor surface is propagated and transmitted to the measuring instrument, which does not cause instability in the measured value. The occupied area becomes smaller.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of essential parts showing the relationship between the container support tool S and the transport tool 43.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view (A) of a container support tool S according to another embodiment of the present invention, and a perspective view of essential parts showing a relationship between a support part of a container and a transport tool 43 according to still another embodiment of the present invention ( B), and container support and carrier 4 of yet another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of the main part showing the relationship with FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a sample container C and a container table T that can be used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a conventional mass change amount measuring device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a sample container with a lid that may be used in a mass change measuring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heating / drying chamber 1a Automatic opening / closing door 1b Turntable 2 Cooling chamber 2b Turntable 3 Measuring device 4 Conveying device 41 Vertical moving mechanism 42 Horizontal moving mechanism 43 Conveying device C Sample container S Container supporting device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heating / drying chamber having an automatic opening / closing door for loading / unloading a sample to be measured, a cooling chamber for allowing the sample to be cooled after heating and drying, and a weight of the sample after cooling to be measured. In the mass change amount measuring device equipped with a measuring device of (1) and a transfer device for transferring the sample to be measured between the heating and drying chamber and the cooling chamber, and between the cooling chamber and the measuring device, the transfer device is configured to transfer the sample. In this case, the mass change measuring device is characterized in that it has a structure in which the sample is picked up from below and conveyed. 2. A heating / drying chamber having an automatic opening / closing door for loading / unloading a sample to be measured, a cooling chamber for allowing the sample to be cooled after heating and drying, and a weight of the sample after cooling to be measured. In the mass change amount measuring device provided with a measuring device and a transport device for transferring the sample to be measured between the heating and drying chamber and the cooling chamber, and between the cooling chamber and the measuring device, the cooling chamber is a heating and drying chamber. And a measuring device provided below the cooling chamber and at the same height as the cooling chamber.