Liquid delivery device and liquid chromatograph equipped with liquid delivery device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11413555-B2
Application number	US-201716611331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A liquid delivery device includes at least one liquid delivery pump that delivers liquid, at least one main channel communicating with an outlet of the liquid delivery pump, at least one branch channel branched from the main channel, and a switching valve that has, as a port for connecting channels, at least a port to which the main channel is connected, a port to which the branch channel is connected, at least one output port for outputting liquid delivered by the liquid delivery pump through the main channel, and at least one drain port leading to a drain, and is configured to be selectively switched to a first state, in which the main channel is connected to the output port while the branch channel is not connected to any channel, and a second state in which the branch channel is connected to the drain port while the main channel is not connected to any channel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid delivery device for delivering through an analysis channel, on which a separation column is provided, of a liquid chromatograph comprising:
at least one liquid delivery pump for delivering liquid;
at least one main channel communicating with an outlet of the liquid delivery pump;
at least one branch channel branched from the main channel; and
a switching valve comprising a plurality of ports for connecting channels, wherein the plurality of ports include a port to which the main channel is connected, a port to which the branch channel is connected, at least one output port for outputting liquid delivered by the liquid delivery pump to the analysis channel, and at least one drain port leading to a drain, the switching valve is configured to be selectively switched to a first state and a second state, the first state is a state in which the main channel is connected to the output port while the branch channel is not connected to any channel via the switching valve, and the second state is a state in which the branch channel is connected to the drain port while the main channel is not connected to any channel via the switching valve.

2. The liquid delivery device according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of mixers whose capacities are different from each other, and the mixers have one end and an other end connected to different ports of the plurality of ports of the switching valve respectively, wherein
in the first state, the switching valve is configured to selectively interpose any one of the plurality of mixers between the main channel and the output port.

3. The liquid delivery device according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of liquid delivery pumps, and a plurality of main channels and branch channels corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid delivery pumps, wherein
the switching valve is configured to connect all the main channels to the output port while not connecting all the branch channels to any channel via the switching valve in the first state, and to connect all the branch channels to the drain port while not connecting all the main channels to any channel via the switching valve in the second state.

4. The liquid delivery device according to claim 3 , wherein the switching valve includes a plurality of output ports corresponding to the plurality of the main channels, and a plurality of drain ports corresponding to the plurality of the branch channels, and the switching valve is configured to connect all the main channels to the corresponding output ports in the first state, and to connect all the branch channels to the corresponding drain ports in the second state.

5. The liquid delivery device according to claim 3 , wherein the switching valve is configured to connect all the main channels to a common output port in the first state, and to connect all the branch channels to a common drain port in the second state.

6. The liquid delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein a damper is provided on the branch channel to suppress fluctuation in liquid delivery pressure by the liquid delivery pump.

7. The liquid delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein the switching valve is configured to be selectively switched to a third state in which a system downstream of the liquid delivery pump including the main channel; and the branch channel is set to be a closed system.

8. The liquid delivery device according to claim 7 , wherein the switching valve is configured to communicate between the port to which the main channel is connected and the port to which the branch channel is connected in the third state.

9. The liquid delivery device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a leakage amount calculation part configured to calculate a leakage amount in the system based on a liquid delivery flow rate by the liquid delivery pump in the third state, or based on a pressure drop range when liquid delivery is stopped after liquid delivery pressurization or a slope of a pressure drop per part time.

10. A liquid chromatograph comprising:
an analysis channel;
a liquid delivery device configured to deliver a mobile phase through the analysis channel;
a sample injection part configured to inject a sample into the analysis channel;
a separation column that is provided downstream of the sample injection part on the analysis channel to separate a sample injected into the analysis channel by the sample injection part into components; and
a detector that is provided downstream of the separation column on the analysis channel, and detects a sample component separated by the separation column, wherein
the liquid delivery device comprises:
at least one liquid delivery pump for delivering liquid;
at least one main channel communicating with an outlet of the liquid delivery pump;
at least one branch channel branched from the main channel; and
a switching valve comprising a plurality of ports for connecting channels, wherein the plurality of ports include a port to which the main channel is connected, a port to which the branch channel is connected, at least one output port for outputting liquid delivered by the liquid delivery pump to the analysis channel, and at least one drain port leading to a drain, the switching valve is configured to be selectively switched to a first state and a second state, the first state is a state in which the main channel is connected to the output port while the branch channel is not connected to any channel via the switching valve, and the second state is a state in which the branch channel is connected to the drain port while the main channel is not connected to any channel via the switching valve.

Assignees

• Shimadzu Corp

Inventors

• Yanagibayashi Jun

Classifications

• G01N30/88

  Integrated analysis systems specially adapted therefor, not covered by a single one of the groups G01N30/04 - G01N30/86 · CPC title

• F04B49/22

  by means of valves (F04B49/03 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2030/347

  mixers · CPC title

• B01D15/10 Primary

  characterised by constructional or operational features · CPC title

• F04B23/00

  Pumping installations or systems (pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors F04B17/00) · CPC title