SAMPLE COLLECTION APPARATUS AND DEVICE

Abstract

SAMPLE TAKING APPARATUS AND DEVICE One aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus (1) for taking a sample from a pipe, characterized in that it comprises: a T-shaped tubular part (2) open at each end, two concentric pistons (3, 4) sliding inside a foot of the T: a first outer piston (3) comprising a wall at the end of which is fixed a needle (30) and pierced with at least two holes (31) facing each other, and movable between a first position where the needle (30) is in the tubular part (2) and a second position where the needle (30) leaves the tubular part (2), a second inner piston (4) sliding inside the first (3) outer piston and delimiting a chamber (40), an opening (22) placed facing the foot of the T. Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: SAMPLE COLLECTION APPARATUS AND DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of piping and more particularly of piping for pumping liquid products, such as for example milk or polluted water.

[0002] The present invention relates in particular to an apparatus and a device for taking a sample from such piping without altering the product in the piping or the sample taken, or polluting the environment and a method for extracting said sample. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is sometimes necessary to analyze the products circulating in a pipeline in order to ensure its quality without polluting the interior of the pipeline or the exterior. For example, during a milk collection, it is necessary to check its quality for health reasons.

[0004] Today, this control is carried out by extracting a sample of the liquid which is transferred into a bottle. However, these operations are tedious and not very secure; there is, in fact, a risk of pollution by the external environment of the liquid contained in the bottle, the volume of the liquid in the bottle is not always controlled and it happens that the liquid taken is altered during sampling, which modifies its chemical or organoleptic properties. Summary of the invention

[0005] The invention offers a solution to the problems mentioned above, by allowing safe sampling of the liquid without altering its chemical properties, either in the piping or in the sampling bottle.

[0006] A first aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus for taking samples from a pipe, characterized in that it comprises: • a T-shaped tubular part open at each end, • two concentric pistons sliding inside a foot of the T: • a first external piston comprising a wall at the end of which is fixed a needle and pierced with at least two holes facing each other, and movable between a first position where the needle is in the tubular part and a second position where the needle comes out of the tubular part, • a second internal piston sliding inside the first external piston and delimiting a chamber, • an opening placed opposite the foot of the T.

[0007] Thanks to the apparatus according to the invention, the liquid can be extracted without it coming into unwanted contact with an external body, the liquid being able to pass directly, thanks to the needle, from the pipe to a bottle placed in front of the opening. This opening can be substantially the same diameter as the needle.

[0008] Advantageously, the opening is resealable. This ensures that the pipe is closed so that it can be cleaned after removing the bottle.

[0009] Advantageously, the tubular part comprises a U-shaped support placed opposite the opening. Thanks to this support, a bottle can be held opposite the opening.

[0010] Advantageously, the support comprises a third piston arranged in the lower part of the U. The bottle being placed on the lower part of the U, the piston makes it possible to correctly position the bottle resting on the opening and to be able to easily remove it by moving the piston away from the opening.

[0011] A second aspect of the invention relates to a device for collecting a sample from a pipe comprising an apparatus having at least one of the preceding characteristics and a sampling bottle placed on the support. The device consisting of the sampling apparatus and the bottle together makes it possible to extract the liquid from the pipe and to store a sample in the bottle.

[0012] Advantageously, the bottle is placed on the third piston. The third piston allows the bottle to be moved closer to and further away from the opening.

[0013] Advantageously, the sampling bottle is closed by a flexible and waterproof membrane, the membrane being pierced by the needle. The extracted sample is preserved because the bottle has only one perforation and is therefore more waterproof. The membrane can be made of silicone or flexible rubber, allowing it to close when the needle is withdrawn, the latter only piercing the membrane narrowly.

[0014] Advantageously, the device comprises an automaton controlling the first and second pistons. The automaton will control the first external piston to remove the needle from the tubular part to make it enter the bottle and remove it from the bottle to put it back into the tubular part, but also the second internal piston to empty the chamber of liquid through the needle into the bottle. Filling the bottle may require several back and forth movements of the internal piston depending on the size of the chamber.

[0015] A third aspect of the invention relates to a method for taking a sample from a pipe in which a liquid circulates using a device according to the second aspect of the invention, the method is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: • positioning of the needle in the bottle, • filling the chamber with liquid, • movement of the second inner piston to empty the chamber by pushing the liquid from the chamber into the bottle through the needle, • movement of the second inner piston to clear the chamber and allow refilling with the liquid.

[0016] The chamber is filled with liquid through one of the opposite holes. When the chamber is filled, the internal piston pushes the liquid towards the needle in the bottle. These two operations are repeated as many times as necessary to fill the bottle.

[0017] Advantageously, once the bottle is filled, the first piston moves from the second to the first position. In this position the needle is retracted into the tubular part, thus releasing the bottle which can be sent for analysis.

[0018] Advantageously, after filling the bottle and raising the needle into the tubular part, the opening is closed and a cleaning step is carried out in the tubular part. The opening is closed by a cap which can be screwed onto a protrusion around the opening, the tubular part which includes the pistons and the needle can be cleaned.

[0019] Advantageously, the automaton calculates: • a number of strokes of the second piston necessary to fill the bottle depending on the volume of the chamber and the bottle, • a back and forth rate of the second piston depending on the flow rate of the liquid in the pipe.

[0020] The flow rate of the product in the piping and the expected quantity of product to be pumped are entered into the automaton. The volume of the bottle receiving the sample and the flow rate of the liquid are known. From these data, a pumping time is deduced from the expected quantity of product to be pumped, the automaton program defines the number of strokes of the second piston necessary to fill the bottle, then at what frequency these strokes will be ordered, in order to obtain a sample representative of the expected quantity of product to be pumped. The automaton will stop the second piston when the bottle is full and will be able to raise the first piston in order to be able to remove the bottle. If the third piston is also actuated by the automaton, it lowers the piston and the bottle to free it from the recess and be able to remove the bottle.

[0021] The invention and its various applications will be better understood upon reading the following description and examining the accompanying figures given solely by way of example. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0022] The figures are presented as examples and in no way limit the invention.

[0023] [Fig. 1] is a section of the device according to the invention, the first piston being in its first position, the second piston being in the high position;

[0024] [Fig.2] is a section of the device according to the invention, the first piston being in its second position, the second being piston in the high position;

[0025] [Fig.3] is a section of the device according to the invention, the first piston being in its second position, the second piston being in the down position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Throughout the description, the top of the figures will be called "top" and the bottom of the figures will be called "bottom".

[0027] Unless otherwise specified, the same element appearing in different figures has a single reference.

[0028] The apparatus 1 according to the invention illustrated in [Fig.l], comprises a tubular part 2 in the shape of a T, the two branches 20 of the T are open to be connected to a pipe (not shown), the foot 21 of the T is pierced to receive two concentric pistons: a first hollow external piston 3 and a second internal piston 4. The first piston 3 is extended by a needle 30.

[0029] Liquid circulates in the branches 20 of the T, so we will call “upstream” the part located before the tubular part 2 in the direction of circulation of the liquid and “downstream” the part located after the tubular part 2 in the direction of circulation of the liquid.

[0030] The tubular part 2 comprises an opening 22 opposite the foot of the T to allow the needle 30 to pass through. This opening 22 is cylindrical and substantially of the same diameter as the needle 30. The opening 22 opens onto a recess 23 provided in a protrusion 25 and intended to receive the top of a bottle 5.

[0031] The first piston 3 has two positions: a first, high position where the needle 30 is in the tubular part 2 and a second, low position where the needle 30 leaves the tubular part 2 through the opening 22. The first piston 3 is pierced with at least two holes 31 facing each other in the direction of circulation of the liquid. Other holes may be provided, either around circumferentially, or axially relative to the axis of the piston. In the low position, these holes 31 are in the flow of liquid between the two branches 20.

[0032] The second piston 4 has two positions: a high position where a chamber 40 is delimited by the inner walls of the first piston 3 and the end of the second piston 4 and a low position where the chamber 40 is completely occupied by the second piston 4. The holes are open on the chamber 40. A spring 41 is placed between a first shoulder 32 of the first piston 3 and a second shoulder 42 of the second piston 4, it allows the second piston 4 to rise.

[0033] The bottle 5 is closed by a flexible and sealed membrane 50, and rests on a third piston 6. A U-shaped support 24 is fixed under the tubular part 2, it holds the third piston 5 opposite the opening 22 and serves as a support for the bottle 5. When the third piston 6 is in the high position and the bottle 5 is placed on it, the membrane 50 is in contact with the recess 23 so as to close the opening 22. In the low position, the third piston 6 releases the bottle 5 from the recess 23, the bottle 5 can then be removed.

[0034] We will now describe the operation of the device consisting of the apparatus 1 and the bottle 5 to extract a sample.

[0035] When the liquid flows in the pipe, it passes into the tubular part 2, the first piston 3 is in the second position and the second piston 4 in the high position, in this way the holes 31 are in the current and the liquid fills the chamber 40, while the needle 30 is in the bottle 5. Once the chamber 40 is filled, the second piston 4 descends to the low position to empty the chamber 40 into the bottle 5. The second piston rises to release the chamber which fills again with liquid, once the chamber is full it is again emptied into the bottle, these operations are repeated until the desired filling of the bottle 5.

[0036] An automaton can control the two pistons 3 and 4 in order to coordinate their cadence with the flow rate of the liquid and the quantity of liquid that one wishes to take from the bottle 5.

[0037] Once the bottle 5 is filled, the first piston 3 is raised to the first position, which removes the needle 30 from the bottle 5 and its membrane 50. The third piston 6 is lowered to lower the bottle 5, remove it from the recess 23, remove it and analyze it. A new bottle can then be placed or the opening closed with a stopper. The protrusion 25 can be threaded in order to screw the stopper (not shown) in order to close the opening 22, or a cap can also be pushed in, or clipped on.

[0038] The automaton can also control the third piston 6 to release the bottle 5 when it is full.

[0039] When the piping is empty, the device can be washed once the needle 30 is raised, the stopper is in place and the chamber 40 is emptied, by injecting soapy water or a disinfectant liquid.

Claims

Claims

1. Apparatus (1) for taking a sample from a pipe, characterized in that it comprises: - a tubular part (2) in the shape of a T open at each end, - two concentric pistons (3, 4) sliding inside a foot of the T: • a first outer piston (3) comprising a wall at the end of which is fixed a needle (30) and pierced with at least two holes (31) facing each other, and movable between a first position where the needle (30) is in the tubular part (2) and a second position where the needle (30) comes out of the tubular part (2) and the holes (31) are between two branches (20) of the T, • a second inner piston (4) sliding inside the first outer piston and delimiting a chamber, - an opening (22) placed facing the foot of the T.

2. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the opening (22) is closable.

3. Apparatus (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tubular part (2) comprises a U-shaped support (24) placed opposite the opening (22).

4. Apparatus (1) according to claim 3 characterized in that the support (24) comprises a third piston (6) arranged in the lower part of the U.

5. Device for taking a sample from a pipe, characterized in that it comprises an apparatus (1) according to one of claims 3 or 4, and a sampling bottle (5) placed on the support (24).

6. Device according to claims 5 in that it depends on claim 4 characterized in that the bottle (5) is placed on the third piston (6).

7. Device according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the sampling bottle (5) is closed by a flexible and sealed membrane (50), the membrane (50) being pierced by the needle (30).

8. Device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that it comprises an automaton controlling the first and second pistons (3, 4).

9. Method for taking a sample from a pipe in which a liquid circulates using a device according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that it comprises the following successive steps: - positioning the needle (30) in the bottle (5), - filling the chamber (40) with the liquid, - moving the second internal piston (4) to empty the chamber (40) by pushing the liquid from the chamber (40) towards the bottle (5) through the needle (30), - moving the second internal piston (4) to clear the chamber (40) and allow a new filling with the liquid.

10. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that once the bottle (5) is filled, the first piston (3) moves from the second to the first position.

11. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that after filling the bottle (5) and raising the needle (30) into the tubular part, the opening (22) is closed and a cleaning step is carried out in the tubular part (2).

12. Method according to one of claims 9 to 11 in that they depend on claim 8, characterized in that the automaton calculates: - a number of strokes of the second piston necessary for filling the bottle as a function of the volume of the chamber and of the bottle, - a rate of back and forth movements of the second piston as a function of the flow rate of the liquid in the pipe.

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