Mixing system and measurement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330161-B2
Application number	US-202117473071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2021
Priority date	Sep 23, 2020
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

Provided are a compact mixing system capable of reducing a use amount of a mixing agent and reducing a volume of a utility that supplies the mixing agent, and a measurement system using the mixing system. The mixing system includes: a mixing agent discharge nozzle through which a mixing agent to be mixed with a sample is to be discharged; and a movable mechanism configured to adjust a gap between the mixing agent discharge nozzle and a sample collection port that opens to an inside of a sample tube through which the sample is to flow so as to collect the sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mixing system, comprising:
a movable mechanism that adjusts a gap between a mixing agent discharge nozzle that discharges a mixing agent to be mixed with a sample, and a sample collection port that is open to an inside of a sample pipe through which the sample flows and that collects the sample;
a shut off mechanism that is configured to shut off a flow of the sample flowing in from the sample collection port; and
a control device configured to control an operation of the shut off mechanism, wherein
the control device controls the shut off mechanism so as to shut off flow of the sample when the gap between the sample collection port and the mixing agent discharge nozzle is narrowed,
a discharge port of the mixing agent discharge nozzle is disposed adjacent to the sample collection port,
the gap is an interval between the mixing agent discharge nozzle and the sample collection port, and
the shut off mechanism is a valve.

2. The mixing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a sealing mechanism configured to prevent the sample from flowing into at least one of the mixing agent discharge nozzle and the sample collection port.

3. The mixing system according to claim 1 , wherein when the sample is collected, the mixing agent is discharged from the mixing agent discharge nozzle in order to prevent the sample from flowing into the mixing agent discharge nozzle.

4. The mixing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a backflow mechanism configured to cause a mixed agent or a mixed agent containing a sample to flow back from the sample collection port to the sample pipe.

5. The mixing system according to claim 1 , wherein an orientation of the sampling port is 90° or more with respect to the flow direction of the sample, and there is no
obstacle overlapping the sampling port when viewed from an upstream direction of the flow of the sample.

6. The mixing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a control device that is configured to control an operation of the movable mechanism, wherein the control device is configured to control the gap such that the gap between the sample collection port and the mixture discharge nozzle is widened when a sample is collected, and the movable mechanism is controlled such that the gap between the sample collection port and the mixture discharge nozzle is narrowed when the collection of the sample is finished.

7. The mixing system according to claim 5 , further comprising: a control device that is configured to control an operation of the backflow mechanism, wherein the control device causes the mixing agent or the mixing agent containing the sample to flow back from the sample collection port to the sample pipe, when the gap between the sample collection port and the mixing agent discharge nozzle is adjusted.

8. A measurement system comprising:
the mixing system according to claim 1 ; and
a measurement unit configured to measure a sample collected by the mixing system.

9. The measurement system according to claim 8 , further comprising: a filter that separates a solid content, wherein
after the sample mixed in the mixing system passes through the measurement unit, the solid content is separated in the filter, and
a component that has passed through the filter is reused as the mixing agent.

10. The measurement system according to claim 9 , further comprising: a control device that is configured to control an operation of the movable mechanism, wherein
the mixing system comprises a backflow mechanism that is configured to cause a mixed agent or a mixed agent containing a sample to flow back from the sample collection port to the sample pipe,
the control device is configured to control an operation of the backflow mechanism, and
when the gap between the sample collection port and the mixture discharge nozzle is adjusted, the control device causes the mixture or the mixture containing the

sample to flow back from the sample collection port to the sample pipe.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Misawa Tomonari

Classifications

• B01L2300/0681

  Filter · CPC title

• B01L2300/0627

  Sensor or part of a sensor is integrated · CPC title

• B01L2300/049

  Valves integrated in closure · CPC title

• B01L2200/141

  Preventing contamination, tampering · CPC title

• B01L2200/10

  Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept · CPC title