Flow vial tray set and autosampler

Abstract

A liquid chromatograph autosampler (100) for collecting a sample from a vial containing the sample by using a movable needle (114) and injecting the sample into a mobile phase flowing toward an analysis column includes one or more tray mounting regions (120) for mounting a vial tray that holds the vial, and is provided with a sample rack (104) arranged at a position defined so as to enable sampling of the sample from the vial by the needle (114). The tray mounting region (120) of the sample rack (104) is defined as a flow vial mounting region for mounting a flow vial (200).

Description

Flow vial tray set and autosampler

[0001] The present invention relates to a flow vial tray set and an autosampler.

[0002] Liquid chromatographic analysis systems are equipped with an autosampler that automatically injects a sample into a mobile phase flowing toward an analytical column. Samples are generally loaded into the autosampler by placing a vial containing the sample on a drawer-type sample rack and then placing the sample rack at a specified position within the autosampler (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] A movable sampling needle is provided within the autosampler, and when a sample is injected into the mobile phase, the needle moves to a position on the sample rack and descends from above a vial containing the target sample, sucking the sample from the vial through the tip of the needle. Some vials have an inlet and an outlet on the side, each connected to a pipe, so that a solvent delivered through the pipe connected to the inlet enters the interior through the inlet and is discharged through the pipe from the outlet, a type of vial known as a flow vial (see Patent Document 2). Using a flow vial, for example, a sample can be delivered from a device such as a dissolution tester to the flow vial, and the sample in the flow vial can be aspirated with the needle for analysis.

[0004] JP 2016-176749 A Patent No. 6753535 A

[0005] Conventionally, autosamplers for liquid chromatography are divided into regular autosamplers that are not compatible with flow vials and autosamplers that are compatible with flow vials. Autosamplers that are compatible with flow vials have a structure that allows the piping connected to the flow vial to be extended outside the autosampler, and have a different structure from regular autosamplers, such as an area for setting the flow vial that is separate from the area for setting the regular vial.

[0006] There is a demand for the ability to load flow vials into standard autosamplers. However, standard autosamplers have become increasingly smaller in recent years, making it difficult to secure a dedicated area for loading flow vials separately from the area for loading standard vials. Even if such an area could be secured, standard autosamplers are only designed to move the needle to the area where standard vials are loaded or the injection port position. Therefore, moving the needle to the area where a flow vial is loaded requires modifying the needle movement mechanism. Therefore, until now, it has not been easy to adapt standard autosamplers to flow vials, and if you wanted to use a flow vial, you had to prepare a separate autosampler that is compatible with flow vials.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to make it possible to use flow vials without significantly modifying the configuration of a conventional autosampler.

[0008] The autosampler of the present invention is an autosampler for a liquid chromatograph that uses a movable needle to collect a sample from a vial containing the sample and inject the sample into a mobile phase flowing toward an analytical column, and is equipped with a sample rack that has one or more tray mounting areas for mounting a vial tray that holds the vials and is positioned at a specified position so that the needle can collect the sample from the vial, and the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack is defined as a flow vial mounting area for mounting a flow vial.

[0009] The flow vial tray set of the present invention is a flow vial tray set for enabling the use of flow vials in a liquid chromatograph autosampler that is provided with a drain for receiving leak liquid and a drainage path for directing the leak liquid toward the drain, wherein the autosampler is configured to collect samples from vials placed on a vial tray mounted on a sample rack placed at a specified position, the sample rack having one or more tray mounting areas for mounting the vial trays, and the flow vial tray set comprises: a flow vial tray that is mounted on the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack, the flow vial tray having a side wall for defining the tray mounting area as an area for placing flow vials, and a drain port provided in the side wall for discharging leak liquid that has accumulated on the floor of the flow vial tray to the outside of the flow vial tray; and a leak liquid guide that is positioned near the sample rack placed at the specified position and forms a flow path that receives leak liquid flowing out from the drain port of the flow vial tray and directs it to the drainage path.

[0010] According to the autosampler of the present invention, the vial mounting area of ​​the sample rack is defined as the flow vial mounting area, so there is no need to secure a dedicated area for setting the flow vial in a location other than the sample rack, and there is no need to change the mechanism for moving the needle. This makes it possible to make the autosampler compatible with flow vials without requiring major changes to the configuration of a normal autosampler.

[0011] According to the flow vial tray set of the present invention, a flow vial tray is mounted in the tray mounting area of ​​a sample rack, and a leak liquid guide is positioned near the sample rack, which is placed at a specified position in the autosampler. Therefore, even if a leak occurs in a flow vial, the leak liquid is discharged to the outside of the flow vial tray through a drain port provided in the side wall of the flow vial tray and guided to the drain path through the leak liquid guide. This allows the configuration so that even if a leak occurs in a flow vial on the sample rack, the leak liquid is guided to the drain. Therefore, it is possible to set and use flow vials on a sample rack without significantly modifying the configuration of a normal autosampler.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a flow vial tray set; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of an embodiment of an autosampler as seen from above; and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state in which the sample rack is pulled out to the front side in the same embodiment.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an autosampler and a flow vial tray set according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First, an embodiment of a flow vial tray set will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] The flow vial tray set 1 includes a flow vial tray 2 and a leak liquid guide 4. The flow vial tray 2 and the leak liquid guide 4 are provided as separate bodies. The flow vial tray 2 is mounted on a sample rack 104 (see FIG. 2 ) of an autosampler 100, which will be described later, and the leak liquid guide 4 is disposed within the autosampler 4 so as not to interfere with the operation of the sample rack 104.

[0016] The flow vial tray 2 has side walls 6 that define the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack 104 as a dedicated flow vial mounting area for mounting a flow vial 200 (see FIG. 2 ). The flow vial 200 is mounted on the floor of the flow vial tray 2, which is surrounded by the side walls 6. One of the side walls 6, a side wall 6a, is provided with a drain port 8 for allowing leak liquid accumulated on the floor of the flow vial tray 2 to flow inside the flow vial tray 2 when the liquid level of the leak liquid exceeds a certain height. In this embodiment, the drain port 8 is realized by a notch from the upper end of the side wall 6a, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the drain port 8 may also be realized by a through-hole provided in the side wall 6a. A gutter portion 10 is provided on the outside of the side wall 6a to guide the leak liquid flowing out from the drain port 8 to the side of the side wall 6a.

[0017] The leak liquid guide 4 has one end (the left end in the figure) positioned below the gutter portion 10 of the flow vial tray 2 and the other end (the right end in the figure) positioned on a leak liquid flow path 110 (see FIG. 2 ) provided in the autosampler 100, thereby forming a flow path for guiding leak liquid flowing out from the drain port 8 of the flow vial 2 to the leak liquid flow path 110. The leak liquid guide 4 has a guide wall 12 for guiding leak liquid received at one end to the other end, and a liquid outlet 14 at the other end for allowing leak liquid that has reached the other end to fall downward. In this embodiment, the liquid outlet 14 is provided so as to allow leak liquid to flow out in a direction intersecting the drain direction of the drain port 8 of the flow vial tray 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. The liquid outlet 14 may be provided on the guide wall 12 farthest from the flow vial tray 2 so as to allow leak liquid to flow out in the same direction as the drain direction of the drain port 8.

[0018] Next, an embodiment of the autosampler will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] In addition to the flow vial tray set 1 described above, the autosampler 100 includes a base 102 , a sample rack 104 , a drain 108 , a leak liquid flow path 110 , a support plate 112 , a needle 114 , an arm 116 , and an exterior panel 118 .

[0020] The base 102 is a substantially horizontal floor surface. The sample rack 104 is inserted into the autosampler 100 from the front end through a rack insertion port 119 provided in an exterior panel 118 of the autosampler 100, and is slidable in one direction (up and down in the figure) on the base 102. A rack handle 122 is provided at the base end of the sample rack 104. When the sample rack 104 is placed in a specified position on the base 102, the rack handle 122 forms an integral flat surface with the exterior panel 118 and constitutes part of the exterior of the autosampler 100.

[0021] The sample rack 104 has one or more tray mounting areas 120 (three in this embodiment) for mounting vial trays. Vials containing samples are set on the vial tray, and the vial tray is mounted in one of the tray mounting areas 120 of the sample rack 104. The sample rack 104 is then placed at a predetermined position on the base 102, whereby the vials are set in the autosampler 100. Fig. 2 shows the sample rack 104 placed at the predetermined position, and Fig. 3 shows the sample rack 104 pulled outward (downward in the figure) from the predetermined position.

[0022] A drain 108, which is a container for receiving leak liquid, is provided below the base 102. A leak sensor 109 for detecting leak liquid is provided in the drain 108, so that liquid leakage occurring within the autosampler 100 is automatically detected. An opening 106 is provided in the base 102 to allow leak liquid occurring on the base 102 to flow down toward the drain 108. A leak liquid flow path 110, which is a flow path for guiding leak liquid occurring at any position on the base 102 (e.g., an injection port, a cleaning port, a pump, etc.), to the opening 106, is provided on the base 102. The opening 106 and the leak liquid flow path 110 form a drainage path for guiding leak liquid occurring within the autosampler 100 to the drain 108.

[0023] The support plate 112 is attached to the base 102. The support plate 112 is a plate on which a substrate (not shown) for detecting the type of sample plate is attached, and also serves to protect the substrate from being splashed with a solvent.

[0024] The needle 114 is used to aspirate a sample from a sample vial on the sample rack 104 placed at a specified position, and is held by an arm 116 with its tip facing vertically downward. The arm 116 can move the needle 114 in the horizontal plane and vertical directions, so that the needle 114 can aspirate a sample from a desired sample vial on the sample rack 104 and inject the sample into a mobile phase flowing toward an analytical column of a liquid chromatograph through an injection port (not shown).

[0025] The flow vial tray 2 of the flow vial tray set 1 is mounted in one tray mounting area 120 of the sample rack 104 (here, the tray mounting area on the base end side closest to the rack holder 122), thereby defining the tray mounting area 120 as a flow vial mounting area. The flow vial tray 2 is set on the sample rack 2 so that the drain port 8 faces in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sample rack 104 (the up-down direction in the figure).

[0026] The leak liquid guide 4 of the flow vial tray set 1 is disposed on the base 102 so that when the sample rack 104 is disposed in a specified position, one end is located below the gutter portion 10 of the flow vial tray 2, and the liquid outlet 14 provided on the other end is located above the leak liquid flow path 110. The leak liquid guide 4 can be disposed so that the other end provided with the liquid outlet 14 is lower than the one end that receives the leak liquid from the flow vial tray 2. In this embodiment, one end of the leak liquid guide 4 is disposed on the support plate 112, so that the floor surface of the leak liquid guide 4 is inclined so that it descends toward the liquid outlet 14 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and even if the leak liquid guide 4 itself is disposed horizontally, the floor surface of the leak liquid guide 4 may be inclined so that the leak liquid received from the drain port 8 of the flow vial tray 2 is guided to the liquid outlet 14. In this way,

[0027] The leak liquid guide 4 may simply be placed on the base 102, or may be fixed to the base 102. The leak liquid guide 4 is structured so that it receives leak liquid dropping from the tip of the gutter 10 of the flow vial tray 2 below, and the side wall 12 does not interfere with the gutter 10 when the sample rack 104 slides on the base 102. This makes it possible to position the sample rack 104 at a specified position or to pull it out of the autosampler 100 while maintaining the leak liquid guide 4 in a predetermined position on the base 102.

[0028] Flow vials 200, the top surfaces of which are sealed by septa 202, are set on a flow vial tray 2. Pipes 204 from an external device such as a dissolution tester are fluidly connected to the flow vials 200. In the drawing, each flow vial 200 is depicted as being connected to one pipe 204, but each flow vial 200 has an inlet for introducing a solvent into the interior and an outlet for discharging the solvent on its side, and an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe are connected to the inlet and outlet, respectively, as pipes 204.

[0029] The rack handle 122 has a hole 124 for passing the piping 204 through. Because the rack handle 122 has the hole 124, there is no need to provide a hole for passing the piping 204 through the exterior panel 118 of the autosampler 100. In this way, the autosampler 100 can be constructed simply by adding the flow vial tray set 1 while maintaining the structure of an existing liquid chromatograph autosampler, except for the rack handle 122. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a hole for passing the piping 204 through the exterior panel 118 may also be provided.

[0030] The flow vial tray set 1 and autosampler 100 described above are merely examples of embodiments of the flow vial tray set and autosampler according to the present invention. Embodiments of the flow vial tray set and autosampler according to the present invention are as follows.

[0031] One embodiment of the autosampler of the present invention is an autosampler for a liquid chromatograph that uses a movable needle to collect a sample from a vial containing the sample and inject the sample into a mobile phase flowing toward an analytical column, and is equipped with a sample rack that has one or more tray mounting areas for loading a vial tray that holds the vial and is positioned at a specified position so that the needle can collect the sample from the vial, and the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack is defined as a flow vial mounting area for loading a flow vial.

[0032] In a first aspect of the above embodiment of the autosampler, the sample rack has two or more tray mounting areas, and one of the two or more tray mounting areas is defined as the flow vial mounting area. According to this aspect, a normal vial rack can be mounted in the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack that is not defined as the flow vial mounting area.

[0033] However, because flow vials require connection to piping leading to devices outside the autosampler, such as a dissolution tester, there is a risk of liquid leakage at the piping connections to the flow vial, but because regular vials are not fluidly connected to piping, regular autosamplers do not take into consideration the risk of liquid leakage on the sample rack.If the solvent leaks onto the sample rack and accumulates on the sample rack, and this condition continues for a long period of time, the solvent may volatilize, causing problems such as malfunction of the equipment inside the autosampler.

[0034] Therefore, in a second aspect of the above embodiment of the autosampler, the flow vial mounting area is defined by a flow vial rack mounted in the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack, and the flow vial rack has a sidewall that defines the tray mounting area as the flow vial mounting area, and a drain port is provided in the sidewall for discharging leak liquid that accumulates on the floor of the flow vial tray to the outside of the flow vial tray. This second aspect can prevent leak liquid from accumulating on the sample rack. This second aspect can be combined with the above first aspect.

[0035] In the second aspect, the autosampler may include a drain for receiving leak liquid generated within the autosampler, a drainage path for guiding the leak liquid to the drain, and a leak liquid guide disposed near the sample rack disposed at the specified position and constituting a flow path for receiving leak liquid flowing out from the drain port of the flow vial tray and guiding the leak liquid to the drainage path. In this way, leak liquid generated in the flow vial mounting area can be discharged to the drain.

[0036] In the above case, the autosampler may further include a leak sensor for detecting leaking liquid guided to the drain through the drainage path, thereby making it possible to detect the occurrence of liquid leakage from the flow vial.

[0037] In a third aspect of the above embodiment of the autosampler, a rack handle is provided at the base end of the sample rack, which constitutes part of the exterior of the autosampler when the sample rack is placed at the specified position, and the rack handle has a hole for passing a piping that is fluidly connected to a flow vial placed in the flow vial placement area. According to this third aspect, it is not necessary to perform processing such as drilling a hole in the exterior of a normal autosampler to accommodate a flow vial. This third aspect can be combined with the first and / or second aspects.

[0038] In the third aspect, the tray mounting area closest to the rack handle among the plurality of tray mounting areas provided on the sample rack can be defined as the flow vial mounting area, thereby shortening the length of piping drawn into the autosampler from the outside and reducing interference with other components in the autosampler, such as needles.

[0039] In one embodiment of the flow vial tray set of the present invention, the flow vial tray set is for enabling the use of flow vials in a liquid chromatograph autosampler that is provided with a drain for receiving leak liquid and a drainage path for directing the leak liquid toward the drain, wherein the autosampler is configured to collect samples from vials placed on a vial tray mounted on a sample rack placed at a specified position, the sample rack having one or more tray mounting areas for mounting the vial trays, and the flow vial tray set comprises: a flow vial tray mounted on the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack, the flow vial tray having a side wall for defining the tray mounting area as an area for placing flow vials, and a drain port provided in the side wall for discharging leak liquid that has accumulated on the floor of the flow vial tray to the outside of the flow vial tray; and a leak liquid guide that is positioned near the sample rack placed at the specified position and forms a flow path that receives leak liquid flowing out from the drain port of the flow vial tray and directs it to the drainage path.

[0040] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Flow vial tray set 2 Flow vial tray 4 Leak liquid guide 6 Side wall of flow vial tray 8 Drain port 10 Gutter 12 Guide wall of leak liquid guide 14 Liquid outlet 100 Autosampler 102 Base 104 Sample rack 106 Base opening 108 Drain 109 Leak sensor 110 Leak liquid flow path 112 Support plate 114 Needle 116 Arm 118 Exterior panel 120 Tray mounting area 122 Rack handle 124 Hole 200 Flow vial 202 Septum 204 Piping

Claims

1. An autosampler for a liquid chromatograph for collecting a sample from a vial containing the sample using a movable needle and injecting the sample into a mobile phase flowing toward an analytical column, comprising a sample rack having one or more tray mounting areas for mounting a vial tray that holds the vials and is positioned at a specified position so that the needle can collect a sample from the vial, and the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack is defined as a flow vial mounting area for mounting a flow vial.

2. The autosampler of claim 1, wherein the sample rack has two or more tray mounting areas, and one of the two or more tray mounting areas is defined as the flow vial mounting area.

3. The autosampler described in claim 1, wherein the flow vial mounting area is defined by a flow vial rack mounted in the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack, the flow vial rack having a side wall for defining the tray mounting area as the flow vial mounting area, and a drain port is provided in the side wall for discharging leak liquid accumulated on the floor surface of the flow vial tray to the outside of the flow vial tray.

4. An autosampler as described in claim 3, comprising: a drain for receiving leak liquid generated within the autosampler; a drain path for directing the leak liquid to the drain; and a leak liquid guide arranged in the vicinity of the sample rack arranged at the specified position, forming a flow path for receiving leak liquid flowing out from the drain port of the flow vial tray and directing it to the drain path.

5. The autosampler of claim 4, further comprising a leak sensor for detecting leakage of liquid directed through said drain path to said drain.

6. The autosampler of claim 1, wherein a rack handle is provided at the base end of the sample rack and forms part of the exterior of the autosampler when the sample rack is placed in the specified position, and the rack handle has a hole for passing piping that is fluidly connected to a flow vial placed in the flow vial placement area.

7. The autosampler according to claim 6, wherein the tray mounting area closest to the rack handle among the plurality of tray mounting areas provided on the sample rack is defined as the flow vial mounting area.

8. A flow vial tray set for enabling the use of flow vials in a liquid chromatograph autosampler having a drain for receiving leak liquid and a drainage path for directing the leak liquid toward the drain, the autosampler being configured to collect samples from vials placed on a vial tray mounted on a sample rack placed at a specified position, the sample rack having one or more tray mounting areas for mounting the vial tray, the flow vial tray set comprising: a flow vial tray mounted on the tray mounting area of ​​the sample rack, the flow vial tray having a side wall for defining the tray mounting area as an area for mounting flow vials, the side wall having a drainage port for discharging leak liquid accumulated on the floor of the flow vial tray to the outside of the flow vial tray, and a leak liquid guide arranged in the vicinity of the sample rack placed at the specified position and constituting a flow path for receiving leak liquid flowing out from the drainage port of the flow vial tray and directing it to the drainage path.

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