Liquid inspecting method and liquid inspecting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377398-B2
Application number	US-200913122458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2009
Priority date	Oct 6, 2008
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A liquid inspecting method, for inspecting the situation of containing explosives, explosive materials and/or illegal drugs in liquid filled in a light transmitting container, comprises a step for irradiating the liquid with near-infrared light from the outside of the container, a step for receiving near-infrared light transmitted through the liquid or scattered by the liquid, and a step for analyzing the absorption spectrum of received near-infrared light. The situation of containing explosives, explosive materials or illegal drugs in liquid filled in a light transmitting container such as a PET bottle or a glass bottle can be detected quickly and certainly from the outside of the container by providing a liquid inspecting method for analyzing the absorption spectrum, and a liquid inspecting device for use therein.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid inspection method for checking whether an explosive, a raw material for explosive, or an illicit drug is contained in a liquid with which an optically transparent container for a drink is filled, comprising:
a near-infrared irradiation step in which a substantially whole portion of the liquid is irradiated by an irradiation unit with near-infrared light having wavelengths of 650 to 1000 nm from outside the container;
a near-infrared light reception step in which the near-infrared light passed through the liquid or the near-infrared light scattered by the liquid is received by a light reception unit; and
an absorption spectrum analysis step in which an absorption spectrum of the received near-infrared light is analyzed,
wherein whether an explosive, a raw material for explosive, or an illicit material is contained in a liquid with which the container is filled is checked by analyzing the absorption spectrum,
the liquid is a drink which may contain the explosive, a raw material for an explosive or an illicit drug filled in the optically transparent container,
the irradiation unit and the light reception unit are integrated,
the near-infrared light is emitted by the irradiation unit into the container from a surface of the container to conduct the near-infrared irradiation step, and the near-infrared light scattered by the liquid is received through the surface of the container by the light reception unit to conduct the near-infrared light reception step.

2. The liquid inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein identification of the kinds of the explosive, raw material for explosive, and/or illicit drug is conducted by analyzing the absorption spectrum.

3. The liquid inspection method according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein absorbance at the predetermined wavelengths of an absorption spectrum analyzed at the absorption spectrum analysis step is substituted into a concentration estimation equation formulated based on absorption spectra analyzed by using a plurality of liquids that contain the explosive, the raw material for explosive, and/or the illicit drug with preset concentrations
to measure a concentration of the explosive, the raw material for explosive, and/or the illicit drug.

4. The liquid inspection method according to claim 3 , wherein the concentration estimation equation is formulated by conducting multiple regression analyses by using the absorbances at the wavelengths of the absorption spectra analyzed by using the liquids containing the explosive, the raw material for explosive, and/or the illicit drug with the preset concentrations.

5. The liquid inspection method according to claim 3 , wherein an absorbance quadratic differential value at the predetermined wavelengths which is obtained by a quadratic differentiation for the absorption spectra is used as the absorbance.

6. The liquid inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein the raw material for explosive is hydrogen peroxide.

7. The liquid inspection method according to claim 3 , wherein regular products are used as the liquids containing the explosive, the raw material for explosive, and/or the illicit drug with the preset concentrations,
a concentration estimation equation is previously formulated for each of the regular products,
a regular product corresponding to the inspection object is identified by reading the product labeling mark put on the inspection object, and
the concentration of liquid explosive, raw material for explosive, and/or illicit drug in the inspection objects is measured by using the concentration estimation equation corresponding to the identified regular product, wherein
the regular product is control of a sample type to be tested.

8. A liquid inspection device for inspecting whether an explosive, a raw material for explosive, or an illicit drug is contained in a liquid with which an optically transparent container for a drink is filled, comprising:
a near-infrared light irradiation means for irradiating a substantially whole portion of the liquid with near-infrared light having wavelengths of 650 to 1000 nm from outside the container;
a near-infrared light reception means for receiving the near-infrared light passed through the liquid or the near-infrared light scattered by the liquid; and
an absorption spectrum analysis means for analyzing an absorption spectrum of the received near-infrared light,
wherein whether an explosive, a raw material for explosive, or an illicit drug is contained in the liquid with which the container is filled is inspected by analyzing the absorption spectrum, and
the liquid is a drink which may contain the explosive, a raw material for an explosive or an illicit drug filled in the optically transparent container,
the near-infrared light irradiation means and the near-infrared light reception means are integrated, and
the unit is disponed under the container so that the near-infrared light is emitted by the near-infrared light irradiation means into the container from a surface thereof and the near-infrared light scattered by the liquid is received through the surface of the container by the near-infrared light reception means.

9. The liquid inspection device according to claim 8 , which further comprising a product labeling mark reading means for reading a product labeling mark put on a regular product, wherein i) said product labeling mark reading means identifies the regular product and the device, ii) identifies a previously formulated concentration estimation equation, and iii) compares the previously formulated equation with a concentration of an explosive, a raw material for explosive or the illicit drug in the liquid to be inspected.

10. The liquid inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein
the irradiation unit is a white lamp.

11. The liquid inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein
the container is shield from an extraneous light other than the near-infrared light.

12. The liquid inspection device according to claim 8 , wherein
the near-infrared light irradiation means is a white lamp.

13. The liquid inspection device according to claim 8 , further comprising a shield so that the container is shield by the shield from an extraneous light other than the near-infrared light.

14. The liquid inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein the surface is a bottom of the container.

15. The liquid inspection method according to claim 8 , wherein the surface is a bottom of the container.

Assignees

• Itozaki Hideo
• Univ Osaka

Inventors

• Itozaki Hideo

Classifications

• G01N21/359 Primary

  using near infrared light · CPC title

• G01N21/9027

  in containers after filling · CPC title

• G01N21/3577

  for analysing liquids, e.g. polluted water · CPC title

• G01N33/22

  Fuels; Explosives · CPC title