JPS6319800Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention is a metal analyzer that analyzes carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, or oxygen in the sample by placing a metal sample in a crucible and burning the sample in a combustion furnace. This invention relates to a storage means for the crucible used.

If this type of crucible is left in the air after manufacture, dust and moisture will adhere to it, causing errors during measurement. Conventionally, these crucibles are packaged in aluminum foil bags containing 5 to 10 pieces, making it difficult to analyze. It is necessary to unwrap the crucible, pick up the crucible one by one with tweezers, and load it into the device, which requires cumbersome manual labor and hinders the automation of the device. Also, packaging,
It is also inconvenient to transport and store.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, the present invention has devised a new product that has not even been conceived of in this type of crucible, namely a crucible storage cassette. A plurality of cylindrical crucible accommodating portions are provided in series to accommodate a plurality of crucibles in the vertical direction, and are provided with a guide portion for guiding the crucible to move upward, and are in contact with the crucibles in each of the crucible accommodating portions. A crucible storage cassette for metal analysis whose parts are made of a material that does not contain the component to be measured or contains only a very small amount of the component. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a cassette 2 that houses a porcelain crucible 1 for metal analysis. In this embodiment, two halves 2a and 2b are integrated by spot welding. As shown in FIG. 2, this crucible storage cassette 2 has a locking part 3 that locks the lowest crucible 1, and a guide part 4 (in this embodiment, the inner wall of the cylinder) that guides the crucible 1 to ascend (described later). ), and a plurality of cylindrical crucible storage parts 5 (in this embodiment, six crucibles) for storing a plurality of crucibles 1 (in this embodiment, eight) in a stacked state in the vertical direction. ) are arranged in series.

The cassette 2 is made of a material such as aluminum, nickel, or chromium that does not contain the component to be measured or contains only a very small amount of the component. Note that plastic such as ABS may be used as the base material, and only the portions that come into contact with the crucible (for example, the locking portion 3, the guide portion 4, etc.) may be coated with the material.

and a cassette 2 containing multiple crucibles 1.
is loaded into a cassette case 6 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The upper and lower surfaces of the cassette case 6 are provided with holes 6a and 6b at positions corresponding to the upper and lower openings 5a and 5b of the crucible storage section 5, and a plurality of locking notches 7 are provided on one side of the lower part. On the front side, there is a locking pawl 10 that is urged downward by a spring 51 and locks into the elongated hole 9 of the transport platform 8, and a solenoid 1 for releasing the locking of this locking pawl 10.
1 is provided.

12 is a spring that presses and biases the cassette case 6 to the first position shown in FIG. 3;
is a means for advancing the cassette case 6 against the biasing force of the spring 12. In this embodiment, the claw 13 that engages with the engagement notch 7 is connected to the rod 1.
A cylinder device installed at the tip of 4 is used. The pawl 13 projects upward by a spring not shown and locks into the locking notch 7 only when the rod 14 moves forward (see imaginary line in Figure 2), and when the rod 14 is in the backward movement position. is pressed down by a pressing member 16 provided on the cylinder device 15 and retires downward,
It is in a position where it is not locked in the locking notch 7 (see solid line position in Figure 2).

Next, 17 is a lifter for raising the crucibles 1 in the cassette 2 one after another.The motor 18 raises the rod 19 in the cylindrical storage part 5 of the cassette 2, and the tip of the rod 19 lifts the crucibles 1 to the top stage. The crucibles 1 are sequentially fed out of the cassette 2. In this embodiment, the crucible 1 that has risen is detected by the optical sensor _S1 , and the forward movement of the rod 19 is stopped based on the detection signal. It should be noted that a mechanism may be used in which the rod 19 is caused to move forward intermittently one pitch at a time.
Reference numeral 20 shows the movement of the cylinders 21 and 22 to transfer the crucible 1 raised by the lifter 17 to a balance 23 (an example of a sample measuring section), and further transfers the crucible 1 supplied with a predetermined amount of sample in the balance 23 to a stock section. This is the first robot to be sent to 24.

Therefore, cassette 2 containing crucible 1 is placed in the third cassette.
The crucibles 2 and crucibles 1 in the first row are loaded in the cassette case 6 at the first position shown in the figure, and the motor 18 is operated to move the rod 19 forward to raise the cassette 2 and the crucibles 1 in the first row one by one. The crucible that has risen is gripped by the first robot 20 and transferred to the balance 23 by the backward movement of the rod 25 of the cylinder 21. (Then, the first robot 20 returns to its original position.) Then, the balance 2
After the tare is erased in step 3, the operator places a predetermined amount of metal sample into the crucible 1 (this sample weighing may also be automated) and presses the input key (not shown) to automatically read the weight. Let's do it. After this measurement,
When the operator presses the push button (not shown), cylinders 21 and 2
Both the second rods 25 and 26 move backward, and the first robot 20 carries the crucible 1 to the transport path 2 of the stock section 24.
7 (described later) is placed at the rear end.

By repeating the above operations, when all the cassettes 2 and crucibles 1 in the first row are taken out, the motor 1
8 is reversed, and the rod 19 of the lifter 17 is retracted to the outside of the cassette 2. At the same time, the solenoid 11 releases the locking of the locking pawl 10 from the long hole 9, and the rod 14 of the cylinder device 15 moves forward. Then, due to the engagement between the pawl 13 and the engagement notch 7, the cassette case 6 moves forward one step against the spring 12.
Then, the restriction of the locking pawl 10 by the solenoid 11 is released, the locking pawl 10 locks in the second elongated hole 9, the cassette case 6 is fixed in the second position, and the crucible is placed in the same manner as before. 1 is taken out one after another.

By repeating the above operations, the crucible 1 in the 6th row
When all the parts are removed, the solenoid 11 releases the lock between the locking pawl 10 and the elongated hole 9, and the spring 1
The biasing force 2 causes the cassette case 6 to return to its original first position.

Next, the stock section 24 will be explained.

The storage section 24 includes a conveyance path 27 for conveying crucibles and storing them in an aligned state, which has a structure as shown in detail in FIGS. In order to stop the crucible 1, the crucible 1 is conveyed along the conveyance path 27 by pressing the crucible 1 sent from the balance 23 and the stopper 30 that appears and retracts by the reciprocating movement of the rod 29 of the cylinder 28, and the crucible 1 is conveyed along the conveyance path 27. Alternatively, the pusher 31 is stopped by the action of the stopper 30 and releases the pressing force when it comes into contact with the preceding crucible that is aligned.

The pusher 31 is connected to the rod 3 of the cylinder 32.
The guide roller 35 is vertically slidably supported by a bracket 34 provided at the tip of the guide roller 35, and when the guide roller 35 is separated from the cam member 36 as shown by the solid line in FIG. In the raised position shown by the solid line in Figure 5, the rod 33
When the rod 33 moves backward, it presses and conveys the crucible 1 along the conveyance path 27. On the other hand, when the rod 33 moves forward and the guide roller 35 comes into contact with the cam surface of the cam member 36, the pusher 31 resists the spring 37. The crucible 1 is then lowered to a position where there is no problem in transferring the crucible 1 from the balance 23 to the stock section 24.

The cylinder 32 is equipped with a so-called load sensing type auto-reverse mechanism, and the crucible 1 conveyed by the pusher 31 is moved to the stopper 3.
0 or stopped and aligned by the action of this stopper 30. When it comes into contact with the preceding crucible, the reaction force is sensed and the rod 33 moves forward.

Therefore, after weighing the sample, the crucibles 1 are transferred to the transport path 27 by the first robot 20 and are stored one after another in the storage section 24 in a state of alignment and contact with each other with no gaps. Next, reference numeral 38 denotes a combustion improver supply device (for example, a combustion improver supply device 38, which automatically supplies a predetermined amount of combustion improver (for example, tungsten, etc.) into the crucible 1 located at the forefront end of the stock section 24.
94698) 39 is
To transfer the crucible supplied with the combustion improver to the crucible mounting table 42 provided at the tip of the rod 41 of the cylinder 40, and to transfer the crucible 1 from above the crucible mounting table 42 into the disposal chute 49 after the analysis is completed. The second robot 20 is the first robot 20 mentioned above.
Similarly, it is equipped with two stages of cylinders 43 and 44. 45 is an extraction section equipped with a combustion furnace 46;
The extracted gas is sent to an analysis section (not shown) by a carrier gas. Therefore, cylinders 43,4
Both rods 47 and 48 of No. 4 are moved back and the second robot 39 grasps the crucible 1 at the front end of the stock section 24, and then only one of the rods moves forward and the crucible 1 is placed on the crucible mounting table 42. then release the grip.

Next, the rod 41 moves forward and the crucible 1 is placed in the combustion furnace 4.
There, the sample in the crucible 1 is burned, and elements such as carbon and sulfur are extracted in the form of CO ₂ and SO ₂ , respectively, and the carrier gas is used to transfer the sample to the analysis section (not shown). The data will be sent to the following site for analysis. The analysis section is equipped with an infrared absorption analyzer or the like when analyzing carbon or sulfur (a thermal conductivity analyzer or the like when analyzing hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen). When the analysis is completed, the rod 41 moves back and the crucible 1 is taken out of the combustion furnace 46, and the inside of the combustion furnace 46 is cleaned by a cleaning device (not shown). Furthermore, after the crucible 1 is gripped by the second robot 39, the rod 47 moves forward and the crucible 1 is transferred to just above the disposal chute 49, and the grip by the second robot 39 is released and the used crucible 1 is removed. It is discarded.

Note that when the crucible 1 at the frontmost end of the conveyance path 27 is taken out, the stopper 30 is moved to fill the gap.
Then, the pusher 31 operates to advance the crucibles 1 in the conveyance path 27 one by one.

This device is equipped with an analysis start switch (not shown).
is provided, and if this is turned off, the second robot 39 will remain stopped, and during this time the crucible 1 will be stored in the transport path 27, and when the transport path 27 is filled with the crucible 1, the above-mentioned analysis will be performed. It is also possible to turn on the start switch and then perform unmanned operation.

In the figure, S2 _{to S12} are optical sensors for checking the correspondence between the crucible 1 and the scale.

In the above embodiment, it goes without saying that the timing of each operation is appropriately controlled by a control device not shown.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific structure of the embodiment described above, but includes various design changes.

For example, the locking portion 3 and guide portion 4 of the crucible storage cassette 2 may have various shapes and structures. Further, the cylindrical storage portion 5 of the cassette 2 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may be, for example, a rectangular cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. Further, the cylindrical storage portions 5 may be arranged not only in one row but also in a plurality of rows as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the crucible storage cassette 2 can be opened and closed freely by a hinge 50.
Insertion of the crucible may be facilitated. In this case, it is preferable to provide an appropriate locking mechanism.

Furthermore, the crucibles 1 can be inserted into the crucible storage cassette 2 by using a chute 53 as shown in FIG. 6 to insert a plurality of crucibles at once. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a holding plate 54 may be attached to prevent the crucible 1 from protruding upward during transportation or the like.

Alternatively, the product may be packaged in a vacuum pack to prevent harmful dust in the air (for example, fiber waste containing carbon, which is the component to be measured).

Since the present invention has the above-mentioned structure, compared to the conventional packaging which is simply wrapped in an aluminum foil bag,
It is extremely easy to store and take out the crucible.
In particular, they can be taken out one after another by a simple means of pressing from below with a cylinder rod or the like, as shown in the previous embodiment.

In addition, it is extremely easy to automate crucible extraction because extraction can be carried out using simple means, and this eliminates the factor that has hindered the automation of metal analyzers (crucible extraction).
can be resolved.

Furthermore, since a plurality of cylindrical crucible storage parts for storing a plurality of crucibles in the vertical direction are arranged in series, a large number of crucibles can be stored in a relatively small volume, which is advantageous in terms of packaging, transportation, and storage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a vertical sectional view of the same as above, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the entire device.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view, and FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views showing other embodiments of the present invention. 1... Crucible, 2... Crucible storage cassette, 3
...Locking part, 4... Guide part, 5... Cylindrical crucible storage part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A plurality of cylindrical crucible storage portions are arranged in a row to accommodate a plurality of crucibles in the vertical direction, and are provided with a locking portion that locks at least the lowest crucible and a guide portion that guides the crucible upward movement. Further, a crucible storage cassette for metal analysis, wherein a portion of each of the crucible storage portions that comes into contact with the crucible is formed of a material that does not contain the component to be measured or contains only a very small amount of the component to be measured.