Analysis Apparatus Having a Plurality of Liquid Chromatographs and Its Analysis Method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021389287-A1
Application number	US-201917295345-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2019
Priority date	Nov 20, 2018
Publication date	Dec 16, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible to realize an analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs capable of judging separation performance and the like at the right timing and improving analysis performance early. Analysis starts and a mixed sample is prepared by adding a non-retaining ingredient to a measurement object sample and is introduced into an analysis flow path (S401 to S404). The mixed sample is separated into components by a separation column, the components are outputted as chromatogram data by a detector, and the analysis finishes (S404 to S406). Retention time and peak information are acquired from the chromatogram outputted from the detector, whether or not a measurement result is within an allowable range is judged, and the process shifts to next analysis when the measurement result is within the allowable range (S407 to S409). An amount of transit time t0 of a non-retaining ingredient shifted from an allowable value is confirmed when separation performance is outside an allowable range at step S408 and a separation column replacement instruction is outputted to an output unit when fluctuation of the transit time t0 is within an allowable range (S410, S411). A device maintenance instruction is outputted to the output unit when the fluctuation is outside the allowable range at step S410 (S412).

First claim

1 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs, comprising:
the multiple liquid chromatographs each of which has a separation column to receive a sample and separate the received sample into components; a detector to detect the components of the sample fed from each of the multiple liquid chromatographs; a data processing unit to process detection data detected by the detector; and a device control unit to control the multiple liquid chromatographs and the detector, wherein the device control unit judges a device status of the multiple liquid chromatographs in accordance with data that is obtained by detecting a non-retaining ingredient sample introduced into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs and not retained by the separation columns by the detector and that is processed by the data processing unit.

2 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 1 ,
wherein the device control unit judges a device status of the multiple liquid chromatographs in accordance with data that is obtained by detecting a measurement object sample and the non-retaining ingredient sample introduced into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs by the detector and that is processed by the data processing unit.

3 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data processing unit calculates a capacity after the non-retaining ingredient sample is introduced into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs to the detector on the basis of retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample and calculates a correction value from a difference between the calculated capacity and a reference capacity value, and wherein the device control unit adjusts a timing of introducing the non-retaining ingredient sample and a measurement object sample into the multiple liquid chromatographs and a timing of collecting data by the data processing unit on the basis of the correction value.

4 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 2 ,
wherein the analysis apparatus has a plurality of client PCs to which at least one of the multiple liquid chromatographs is connected and a server PC to which the multiple client PCs are connected.

5 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 2 ,
wherein the device control unit judges a device status of the multiple liquid chromatographs on the basis of peak separation performance of the measurement object sample and fluctuation of retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample.

6 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 5 ,
wherein the analysis apparatus has an output unit, and wherein the device control unit judges whether or not peak separation performance of the measurement object sample is within a peak separation allowable range, outputs a separation column replacement instruction to the output unit when the peak separation performance is not within the peak separation allowable range but fluctuation of retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample is within a fluctuation allowable range, and outputs a device maintenance instruction to the output unit when the peak separation performance is not within the peak separation allowable range and the fluctuation of the retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample is not within the fluctuation allowable range.

7 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 5 ,
wherein the analysis apparatus has an output unit, and wherein the device control unit introduces the measurement object sample into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs, judges whether or not peak separation performance of the measurement object sample is within a peak separation allowable range, introduces the non-retaining ingredient sample and the measurement object sample into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs when the peak separation performance is not within the peak separation allowable range, outputs a separation column replacement instruction to the output unit when fluctuation of retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample is within a fluctuation allowable range, and outputs a device maintenance instruction to the output unit when the peak separation performance is not within the peak separation allowable range and the fluctuation of the retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample is not within the fluctuation allowable range.

8 . An analysis apparatus having a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector is a mass spectrometer.

9 . An analysis method of a plurality of liquid chromatographs, including the multiple liquid chromatographs each of which has a separation column to receive a sample and separate the received sample into components, a detector to detect the components of the sample fed from each of the multiple liquid chromatographs, a data processing unit to process detection data detected by the detector, and a device control unit to control the multiple liquid chromatographs and the detector,
the analysis method including the steps of: detecting a non-retaining ingredient sample introduced into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs and not retained in the separation column by the detector; and judging a device status of the multiple liquid chromatographs in accordance with detected data.

10 . An analysis method of a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 9 ,
the analysis method including the steps of: detecting a measurement object sample and the non-retaining ingredient sample introduced into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs by the detector; and judging a device status of the multiple liquid chromatographs in accordance with detected data.

11 . An analysis method of a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 9 ,
the analysis method including the steps of: calculating a capacity after the non-retaining ingredient sample is introduced into any one of the multiple liquid chromatographs to the detector on the basis of retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample; calculating a correction value from a difference between the calculated capacity and a reference capacity value; and adjusting a timing of introducing the non-retaining ingredient sample and a measurement object sample into the multiple liquid chromatographs and a timing of collecting data on the basis of the correction value by the device control unit.

12 . An analysis method of a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 10 ,
the analysis method including the steps of: connecting at least one of the multiple liquid chromatographs to a plurality of client PCs; and connecting the multiple client PCs to a server PC.

13 . An analysis method of a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 10 ,
the analysis method including a step of: judging a device status of the multiple liquid chromatographs on the basis of peak separation performance of the measurement object sample and fluctuation of retention time of the non-retaining ingredient sample.

14 . An analysis method of a plurality of liquid chromatographs according to claim 13 , the analysis method including the steps of:
judging whether or not peak separation performance of the measurement object sample is within a peak separation allowable range; outputting a separation column replacement instruction to an output unit when the peak separation performance is not within the peak separ

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Akieda Daisuke
• Nogami Makoto
• Suzuki Iwao
• Kawarai Masako
• Ogata Izumi
• Ito Shinya

Classifications

• G01N30/46 Primary

  using more than one column {(G01N30/44 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01N2030/027

  Liquid chromatography · CPC title

• G01N30/86 Primary

  Signal analysis · CPC title

• G01N30/24

  Automatic injection systems · CPC title

• G01N30/7233

  interfaced to liquid or supercritical fluid chromatograph (interfaces in general for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed with specially adapted mass spectrometer, see H01J49/04) · CPC title