Substance-testing apparatus, substance-testing system, and substance-testing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10048172-B2
Application number	US-201415128358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2014
Priority date	Mar 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

In order to save a space for an apparatus for inspecting a substance and reduce a cost thereof, a particle testing apparatus includes a plurality of collection ports for collecting substances to be inspected, centrifuges for concentrating particles collected in the collection ports, the centrifuges being connected to the respective collection ports in pairs, and a common analysis apparatus for acquiring the concentrated particles from the centrifuges and analyzing the particles, the analysis apparatus being connected to the centrifuges.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A substance testing system, comprising:
a substance testing apparatus including
a plurality of collection units for collecting substances to be inspected,
concentration units for concentrating the substances collected in the collection units, the concentration units being connected to the respective collection units in pairs, and
a common analysis unit for acquiring the concentrated substances from the concentration units and analyzing the substances, the analysis unit being connected to the concentration units;
a control apparatus for controlling permission and prohibition of collection of the substances, wherein

when a certain collection unit of the plurality of collection units collects the substance, the control apparatus prohibits the other collection units from collecting the substance, and wherein
the substance testing system further comprises a heating unit for heating the substances to vaporize the substances, the heating unit being provided on the analysis unit side from a point at which the substances sent from the concentration units are merged.

2. The substance testing system according to claim 1 , wherein lengths between the concentration units and the analysis unit are the same.

3. The substance testing system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a substance peeling-off unit for peeling off a substance from a target to be inspected, the substance peeling-off unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit.

4. The substance testing system according to claim 1 , further comprising
an information reading unit for reading information of an information recording medium on which information is recorded, the information reading unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit, wherein
the control apparatus associates the information of the information recording medium read by the information reading unit with an analysis result in the analysis unit.

5. The substance testing system according to claim 1 , further comprising
an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image, wherein
the control apparatus associates the image acquired by the image acquisition unit with an analysis result in the analysis unit.

6. The substance testing system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a peeling-off unit for peeling off a substance adhering to baggage, the peeling-off unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit.

7. A substance testing system, comprising:
a substance testing apparatus including
a plurality of collection units for collecting substances to be inspected,
concentration units for concentrating the substances collected in the collection units, the concentration units being connected to the respective collection units in pairs, and
a common analysis unit for acquiring the concentrated substances from the concentration units and analyzing the substances, the analysis unit being connected to the concentration units;
a control apparatus for controlling permission and prohibition of collection of the substances, wherein

the control apparatus has, in a storage unit, information on an expected detection time period that is an expected time period required for analyzing a substance in the analysis unit; and
the control apparatus sets a prohibited time period that is a time period in which collection of the substance is prohibited so that the expected detection time periods in the respective concentration units are not overlapped, and
when a certain collection unit of the plurality of collection units collects the substance, the other collection units are prohibited from collecting the substance in the prohibited time period.

8. The substance testing system according to claim 7 , wherein
lengths between the concentration units and the analysis unit are the same.

9. The substance testing system according to claim 7 , further comprising
a substance peeling-off unit for peeling off a substance from a target to be inspected, the substance peeling-off unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit.

10. The substance testing system according to claim 7 , further comprising
an information reading unit for reading information of an information recording medium on which information is recorded, the information reading unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit, wherein
the control apparatus associates the information of the information recording medium read by the information reading unit with an analysis result in the analysis unit.

11. The substance testing system according to claim 7 , further comprising
an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image, wherein
the control apparatus associates the image acquired by the image acquisition unit with an analysis result in the analysis unit.

12. The substance testing system according to claim 7 , further comprising
a peeling-off unit for peeling off a substance adhering to baggage, the peeling-off unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit.

13. A substance testing method, wherein
in a substance testing system including
a substance testing apparatus including
a plurality of collection units for collecting substances to be inspected,
concentration units for concentrating the substances collected in the collection units, the concentration units being connected to the respective collection units in pairs, and
a common analysis unit for acquiring the concentrated substances from the concentration units and analyzing the substances, the analysis unit being connected to the concentration units, and

a control apparatus for controlling permission and prohibition of collection of the substances, wherein
the control apparatus has, in a storage unit, information on an expected detection time period that is an expected time period required for analyzing a substance in the analysis unit, and the control apparatus sets a prohibited time period that is a time period in which collection of the substance is prohibited so that the expected detection time periods in the respective concentration units are not overlapped, and
when a certain collection unit of the plurality of collection units collects the substance, the control apparatus prohibits the other collection units from collecting the substance in the prohibited time period.

14. The substance testing method according to claim 13 , further comprising
an information reading unit for reading information of an information recording medium on which information is recorded, the information reading unit being provided in the vicinity of the collection unit, wherein
the control apparatus associates the information of the information recording medium read by the information reading unit with an analysis result in the analysis unit.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Sugaya Masakazu
• Kashima Hideo
• Terada Koichi
• Takada Yasuaki
• Nagano Hisashi

Classifications

• G01N2001/024

  passengers or luggage · CPC title

• G01N2001/022

  sampling for security purposes, e.g. contraband, warfare agents · CPC title

• G01N2001/4033

  sample concentrated on a cold spot, e.g. condensation or distillation · CPC title

• G01N1/2202 Primary

  involving separation of sample components during sampling · CPC title

• G01N1/4022

  by thermal techniques; Phase changes · CPC title