Automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis

Abstract

To provide an automatic water sampling device for cryptosporidium analysis capable of performing cryptosporidium analysis of sampled water with high accuracy with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: An automatic water sampling device for cryptosporidium analysis includes: a water sampling tank 10; water supply means 40; siphon means 60; discharge start means (automatic valve 45 or the like) that causes the siphon means 60 to start discharge water by supplying water sample up to water levels a1, a3 where siphon is formed in water sampling tank 10 by the water supply means 40; and discharge stop means (automatic valve 45 or the like) that stops the water supply by the water supply means 40 and stops the water discharge which is started by the discharge start means by sucking air by the siphon means 60. By repeating the water supply to the water sampling tank 10 by the water supply means 40 and the water discharge from the water sampling tank 10 by the discharge start means and discharge stop means, an inside of the water sampling tank 10 is co-washed with the water sample, and the water sample is stored in the water sampling tank 10 by the water supply means 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis that is suitable for use in sampling water such as tap water to confirm the presence of Cryptosporidium. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, at water purification plants and water distribution facilities, tap water samples have been collected manually every day to check for Cryptosporidium in tap water. Approximately 20 L of tap water is required to analyze Cryptosporidium in tap water.

[0003] According to guidelines from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, water purification plants are required to collect 20L of tap water once a day and store it for 14 days. For this reason, tap water is generally stored in general-purpose 20L polyethylene tanks (hereinafter referred to as "poly tanks") every day, and 14 days' worth of tap water is always stored. Furthermore, the polyethylene tanks containing tap water that has exceeded the storage period are replaced with new tap water one can at a time by hand every day.

[0004] When sampling water, first lift a plastic container containing 20 L of 14-day-old tap water and tilt or invert it to drain the 14-day-old tap water. After draining, a small amount of sample water (new tap water) is poured into the plastic container, and the container is shaken to clean it. This cleaning, commonly known as "co-washing," is performed to remove any substances other than the liquid to be analyzed (14-day-old tap water) that are attached to the inside of the container using the liquid to be analyzed (new tap water). This co-washing process is usually performed two to three times. After that, new tap water is poured into the plastic container and stored.

[0005] Of the above tasks, there are devices that automate only the water supply, but with these devices, the drainage work, container setting work, and storage of the containers that have collected water must be done manually, and the containers do not have to be washed together. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-56333 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As mentioned above, the containers used for the above Cryptosporidium analysis are generally general-purpose 20L plastic containers, which means that when draining or cleaning (co-washing), the containers must be lifted and inverted, or shaken and then inverted. Therefore, to fully automate these tasks, the inversion operation must be automated, which requires a large-scale inversion device.

[0008] Furthermore, to improve analytical accuracy, it is important to wash the containers together, but because a 20L container is large, if washing is done manually, a small amount of the original solution (the liquid to be analyzed) is poured into the container, which is then shaken and discarded. However, the effectiveness of washing is enhanced by the amount of original solution that comes into contact with the inner surface of the container, so washing with a small amount of original solution does not provide sufficient cleaning effect.

[0009] Patent Document 1 describes an automatic water sampler with a small sample bottle of approximately 2000 mL or less that can be used to automatically drain water using a siphon, although this is not for Cryptosporidium analysis and is intended to confirm the water quality of rivers and drinking water sources.

[0010] However, the automatic water sampler described in Patent Document 1 does not use a solenoid valve, and the sample bottles are small, with a capacity of approximately 2000 mL or less, whereas the containers required for analyzing Cryptosporidium, the subject of this analysis, require a large container with a capacity of 20 L, and the technology in Patent Document 1 cannot be applied as is.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide an automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis that has a simple configuration and is capable of performing highly accurate Cryptosporidium analysis of sampled water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention provides It consists of a rectangular box-shaped tank, The apparatus comprises a water sampling and storage means for storing sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis, a water supply means for supplying water to the sampled water storage means, a water supply valve for turning on / off the water supply to the sampled water storage means by the water supply means, a siphon means for draining all of the sampled water supplied to the sampled water storage means by forming a siphon, and a water supply means for supplying sampled water to the sampled water storage means up to a water level at which the siphon is formed. The aforementioned a drainage starting means for starting drainage by a siphon means; a drainage stopping means for stopping water supply by the water supply means and stopping the drainage started by the drainage starting means by sucking in air with the siphon means; a flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of water supplied to the water sampling and storing means supplied by the water supply means and outputting the flow rate measurement result at every fixed flow rate; and a water supply and drainage control means for controlling the water supply means, the drainage starting means, and the drainage stopping means by controlling the water supply valve to be turned on and off according to the flow rate measurement result input from the flow rate measuring means, The water sampling and storing means is supported at an angle by the upper pair of tank support arms and the lower pair of tank support arms of a holding means, which is formed by connecting the legs on both the left and right sides with a pair of tank support arms installed on the upper and lower sides, and forming the distance between the upper pair of tank support arms to be longer than the distance between the lower pair of tank support arms, so that one corner of the bottom surface of the water sampling and storing means is positioned at the lowest part between the lower pair of tank support arms, and the tip of the siphon pipe constituting the siphon means, which is inserted into the water sampling and storing means, is positioned at the lowest part within the water sampling and storing means, The water supply and drainage control means controls the water supply valve on and off, so that the water supply means supplies water to the water collection and storage means, and the drainage start means and the drainage stop means drain water from the water collection and storage means, are repeated multiple times to wash the inside of the water collection and storage means together with the water collection, and the water supply means stores the collected water in the water collection and storage means. According to the present invention, the task of replacing the water sample stored in the water sample storage means for Cryptosporidium analysis can be performed fully automatically using simple equipment that utilizes the principle of a siphon. In other words, in the present invention, the drainage work is performed using a siphon means that utilizes the siphon principle, so the drainage process, washing (co-washing) process, and water supply process can be performed fully automatically without lifting and turning over the water collection and storage means (for example, a 20L plastic tank). Each of the above processes can be easily performed by simply controlling the ON / OFF of a single automatic valve (water supply valve), for example. Furthermore, when washing the water sampling and storage means, the present invention allows the entire inner surface of the water sampling and storage means to be completely immersed in the water sample, and this washing can be repeated automatically, thereby improving the accuracy of analysis.

[0013] In addition to the above features, the present invention also provides: The water supply means has a water supply connection part connected to an opening provided in the water sampling and storing means, and a pipe connected to the water supply connection part to supply tap water, the water supply connection part has a cylindrical shape that is open at the top and bottom, the lower end of the water supply connection part is connected to the opening of the water sampling and storing means, one end of the pipe is connected to a side surface of the water supply connection part, a siphon tube that constitutes the siphon means is inserted from the side surface of the water supply connection part that is lower than the part where the pipe is connected, and is inserted from the opening at the lower end of the water supply connection part into the opening of the water sampling and storing means, The siphon means further includes a drainage unit consisting of a container into which the drainage side end of the siphon pipe is inserted, and is configured to have accumulated water that always remains at the bottom of the drainage unit, with the tip of the drainage side end of the siphon pipe positioned in the accumulated water to maintain a water-sealed state at all times.

[0014] The present invention also provides It consists of a rectangular box-shaped tank, a water sampling and storage means for storing sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis; a water supply means for supplying water to the water sampling and storage means; a water supply valve for turning on and off the water supply to the water sampling and storage means by the water supply means; a siphon means for draining all of the sampled water supplied to the water sampling and storage means by forming a siphon; a flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of water supplied to the water sampling and storage means by the water supply means and outputting the flow rate measurement result at every fixed flow rate; and a water supply and drainage control means for controlling the water supply valve to be turned on and off according to the flow rate measurement result input from the flow rate measuring means. The water sampling and storing means is supported at an angle by the upper pair of tank support arms and the lower pair of tank support arms of a holding means, which is formed by connecting the legs on both the left and right sides with a pair of tank support arms installed on the upper and lower sides, and forming the distance between the upper pair of tank support arms to be longer than the distance between the lower pair of tank support arms, so that one corner of the bottom surface of the water sampling and storing means is positioned at the lowest point between the lower pair of tank support arms, and the tip of the siphon pipe constituting the siphon means, which is inserted into the water sampling and storing means, is positioned at the lowest point within the water sampling and storing means,The water supply and drainage control means controls the water supply valve on and off to perform a water supply step of supplying sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis to the water sampling and storage means, a drainage start step of raising the water level of the sampled water supplied to the water sampling and storage means above a predetermined water level to form a siphon by the siphon means and start draining the sampled water from the water sampling and storage means, and a drainage stop step of stopping the water supply and stopping the drainage started by the drainage start step by continuing until the siphon by the siphon means draws in air, thereby repeatedly performing these steps multiple times to wash the inside of the water sampling and storage means together with the sampled water, and further performing a step of storing the sampled water in the water sampling and storage means by supplying water by the water supply means after the washing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to sample tap water or the like with high accuracy for the purpose of confirming the presence of Cryptosporidium using a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1(a) and 1(d) are diagrams showing an automatic water sampling device 1 for Cryptosporidium analysis, in which FIG. 1(a) is a schematic overall front view, FIG. 1(b) is a schematic left side view of FIG. 1(a), FIG. 1(c) is a schematic right side view of FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 1(d) is a schematic left side view of a drainage unit 70. [Figure 2] 1 is an operational flow diagram showing an example of operation of the automatic water sampling device 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of a time chart for the automatic water sampling device 1, where FIG. 3A is a diagram showing in detail one water sampling process by any of the automatic valves 45-n (n: 1 to 14), and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the water sampling process by each of the automatic valves 45-1 to 14. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the automatic water sampling device 1. [Figure 5A] This is an explanatory diagram of the water sampling operation (part 1). [Figure 5B] This is an explanatory diagram of the water sampling operation (part 2). [Figure 5C] This is an explanatory diagram of the water sampling operation (part 3). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis (hereinafter referred to as "automatic water sampling device") 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1(a) is a schematic overall front view, FIG. 1(b) is a schematic left side view of FIG. 1(a) (however, the drainage unit 70 is omitted), FIG. 1(c) is a schematic right side view of FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 1(d) is a schematic left side view of the drainage unit 70. As shown in these figures, the automatic water sampling device 1 is configured to include a water sampling and storage means (hereinafter referred to as a "water sampling tank") 10 for storing water samples (sample liquid, purified water, specimen, undiluted solution) for Cryptosporidium analysis, a holding means (storage unit) 30 for holding the water sampling tank 10, a water supply means 40 for supplying water to the water sampling tank 10, a siphon means 60 for draining the sampled water in the water sampling tank 10, a drainage unit 70 for introducing drainage water from the siphon means 60, a control panel 80 for controlling the opening and closing of an automatic valve 45 (described below) attached to the water supply means 40, and a mounting base 100 for mounting the control panel 80 and the automatic valve 45. The automatic water sampling device 1 includes 14 sets of water sampling tanks 10, water supply means 40, siphon means 60, and automatic valves 45, and these 14 sets of components are provided with two holding means 30 and drainage units 70, and one control panel 80 and mounting base 100.

[0018] This automatic water sampling device 1 is designed to check the quality of tap water, and uses a commercially available 20L plastic container as the water sampling tank 10. A drainage device with siphon means (siphon forming mechanism) 60 is attached to the screw cap lid (opening 13 described below), and automatic water supply and drainage is performed by timer control of an automatic valve 45 such as a solenoid valve. A specific description will be given below.

[0019] In this example, a commercially available 20 L polyethylene tank is used as the water sampling tank 10. That is, this water sampling tank 10 is a tank made of polyethylene and has a roughly rectangular box shape, with a handle 11 in the center of its top surface and two openings 13 and 15 on either side of the handle 11. One opening 13 has its screw cap lid removed and is connected to a water supply connection part 41 of a water supply means 40 described below (to be precise, the screw cap of opening 13 is used as part of the connection means when connecting the water supply connection part 41), and the other opening 15 is closed by a screw cap lid 15a.

[0020] The holding means 30 is configured with legs 31, 31 assembled in a generally rectangular shape on both the left and right sides, and two tank support arms 33, 33, 35, 35 connecting the legs 31, 31 at the top and bottom. A horizontally extending rod-shaped connecting portion 37 is connected to vertical rod portions 31a, 31a of the generally rectangular assembled legs 31. The pair of tank support arms 33, 33 are attached horizontally at the same height above the vertical rod portions 31a, 31a. The pair of tank support arms 35, 35 are attached horizontally at the same height in the middle of the connecting portions 37, 37. The pair of tank support arms 33, 33 spaced apart by a long distance and the pair of tank support arms 35, 35 spaced apart by a short distance are configured to stably support the approximately rectangular box-shaped water sampling tank 10 in an inclined position (with one corner of the bottom surface positioned at the lowest position between the tank support arms 35, 35). In this example, the tank support arms 33, 33, 35, 35 are formed to a length that allows seven water sampling tanks 10 to be placed (held) in parallel, and two holding means 30 of this size are provided, thereby enabling the configuration to hold 14 water sampling tanks 10 (only one is shown in the figure).

[0021] The water supply means 40 is configured to include water supply connectors 41 connected to the openings 13 of the water sampling tanks 10, pipes 43 connected to the upper sides of the water supply connectors 41, automatic valves 45 (45-1 to 14) attached one to the middle of each pipe 43, and one flow rate measuring means 47 connected to a single pipe 44 upstream of each automatic valve 45. A water supply faucet (not shown) is connected via pipe 46 to the upstream side of the flow rate measuring means 47.

[0022] The water supply connection part 41 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with open top and bottom, and its lower end is connected to the opening 13 of the water sampling tank 10 in a manner that prevents water from leaking to the outside. A pipe-shaped piping connection part 49 is attached to the upper side surface of the water supply connection part 41, and one end of the piping 43 is attached to this piping connection part 49. A siphon pipe insertion part 51 is provided on the lower side surface of the water supply connection part 41 (a side surface position below the piping connection part 49), into which a siphon pipe 61 of siphon means 60 described below is inserted in a manner that prevents water from leaking to the outside.

[0023] The automatic valves 45 (45-1 to 14) are solenoid valves in this example, and are on / off (open / close) controlled by the water supply and drainage control means 81 described below. The flow rate measurement means 47 is a so-called water meter, which measures the flow rate of the sampled water (tap water) being supplied, and outputs a flow rate signal (pulse signal) to the water supply and drainage control means 81 described below at every fixed flow rate.

[0024] The siphon means 60 is configured with a siphon tube 61. One end of the siphon tube 61 is inserted into the water supply connection 41 through the siphon tube insertion portion 51 of the water supply connection 41, and is further inserted into the opening at the lower end of the water supply connection 41 and into the opening 13 of the water sampling tank 10. The tip of the inserted siphon tube 61 is located near one corner 17 (the lowest position within the water sampling tank 10) on the bottom side of the diagonally installed water sampling tank 10. The other end of the siphon tube 61 is inserted into the drainage unit 70 described below. The tip of the inserted siphon tube 61 is located at a lower part within the drainage unit 70. The height position of the tip of the siphon tube 61 within the water sampling tank 10 is higher than the height position of the tip of the siphon tube 61 within the drainage unit 70 (more specifically, the height position of the tip of the siphon tube 61 within the water sampling tank 10 is higher than the water surface level of the water that always remains in the drainage unit 70).

[0025] The drainage unit 70 is a long, cylindrical container (same width as the mounting base 100). A drain pipe 71 is connected to one end of the container at a position above the bottom of the container. The siphon pipes 61 are inserted into the container from its top. Seven siphon pipes 61 are inserted. The drain pipes 71 are connected at positions that maintain a predetermined amount of water at the bottom of the drainage unit 70 even after drainage from the drain pipe 71 has finished. The tips of the inserted siphon pipes 61 are positioned in the water accumulated at the bottom of the drainage unit 70, ensuring that the tips of the siphon pipes 61 are always sealed with water. Two drainage units 70 are installed (only one is shown in the figure). The reason the tips of the siphon pipes 61 are always sealed with water is to ensure smooth siphon formation within the siphon pipes 61, i.e., to ensure smooth air discharge from the siphon pipes 61.

[0026] The control panel 80 has installed therein a water supply and drainage control means 81 shown in Figure 4 below, and its front surface is configured as an operation display screen 81. Figure 4 is a control block diagram of the automatic water sampling device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the water supply and drainage control means 81 is a computer that performs sequence control, and inputs the measured flow rate of the water sampled from the flow rate measurement means 47, and controls the on / off (opening and closing) of the 14 automatic valves 45 (45-1 to 14) using the flow rate and a built-in timer.

[0027] The mounting base 100 is a frame body, and the 14 automatic valves 45 (45-1 to 14) and the flow rate measuring means 47 are attached to the bottom of the mounting base 100, and the control panel 80 is attached to the top of the mounting base 100. For convenience of illustration, only three automatic valves 45-1 to 3 are shown in solid lines in Figure 1, and the other automatic valves 45-4 to 14 are shown in dotted imaginary lines.

[0028] Fig. 2 is an operational flow diagram showing an example of operation of the automatic water sampling device 1. Figs. 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams showing an example of a time chart of the automatic water sampling device 1 when performing the above operational flow, with Fig. 3(a) showing in detail one water sampling process using any of the automatic valves 45-n (n: 1 to 14), and Fig. 3(b) showing the water sampling process using each of the automatic valves 45-1 to 14. Figs. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams of the water sampling operation using any of the automatic valves 45-n (n: 1 to 14).

[0029] Using these figures, we will explain the operation of draining the previous water sample stored in the nth water sampling tank 10 (water discarding process), then performing co-washing multiple times (three times in this example) (co-washing process), and storing a new water sample (water sampling process). The above-mentioned water discarding process, co-washing process, and water sampling process are collectively referred to as the "water sampling operation."

[0030] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the water sampling operation by each automatic valve 45-1 to 14 is performed one by one in turn each day at the same time (sampling time) t0. As a result, the 14 water sampling tanks 10 always store the latest water samples for 14 days, supplied by one tank each day.

[0031] A single water sampling operation by the automatic valve 45-n is performed as follows. First, before the set water sampling time t0 arrives, 20 L of water sampled the previous time (14 days ago) is stored in the water sampling tank 10, as shown in (1) of Figure 5A. The water level at this time is a1. This corresponds to the "previous sample storage state" in Figure 3(a).

[0032] Then, at the set time t0 on the corresponding day (step 1), the water discarding process (see FIG. 3(a)) of the water sampling operation is initiated. That is, the water supply and drainage control means 81 sends an open signal to the corresponding automatic valve 45-n to open it, and water supply to the water sampling tank 10 begins (step 2). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A(2), the supplied sampled water fills the water sampling tank 10, and the water level rises inside the water supply connection part 41. The amount of sampled water supplied is measured by the flow rate measurement means 47, and when the flow rate reaches 6 L, the automatic valve 45-n is closed (steps 3 and 4). At this time, the water level in the water supply connection part 41 is at position a2, as shown in FIG. 5A(2), that is, a position slightly above the siphon tube insertion part 51, in other words, a position higher than the highest point of the siphon means 60. Accordingly, the sampled water introduced into the siphon tube 61 from the end of the siphon tube 61 on the side of the water sampling tank 10 is guided to the end on the side of the drainage unit 70, and drainage begins. This fills the siphon tube 61 with sampled water, forming a siphon. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B (3), the sampled water in the water sampling tank 10 is sucked out. This sucking state continues from the closing of the automatic valve 45-n (step 4) until time t1 (this time t1 is the time required for the siphon to break, which is preset to, for example, 600 seconds) has elapsed ("N" in step 5). During this time, as shown in FIG. 5B (4), all the sampled water in the water sampling tank 10 is sucked out, air is sucked in from the end of the siphon tube 61 on the side of the water sampling tank 10, the siphon breaks, and the water discarding process ends.

[0033] When time t1 has elapsed since the automatic valve 45-n was closed ("Y" in step 5), the common-washing process (see FIG. 3(a)) of the water sampling operation is initiated. Specifically, the automatic valve 45-n is opened (step 6), water supply to the water sampling tank 10 is initiated, and this is maintained until the water supply / drainage control means 81 determines, based on a signal from the flow rate measurement means 47, that the amount of water supplied has reached 27 L (step 7). Thereafter, the automatic valve 45-n is closed (step 8). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B (5), the supplied sampled water fills the water sampling tank 10, and the water level rises inside the water supply connection 41 to position a3, i.e., a position slightly above the siphon tube insertion section 51. As a result, as in the water discarding process, sampled water is sucked from the end of the siphon tube 61 on the water sampling tank 10 side, and drainage begins from the end on the drainage unit 70 side, forming a siphon. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B (6), the sampled water in the water sampling tank 10 is sucked out. This suction state is continued from the closing of the automatic valve 45-n (step 8) until time t2 (this time t2 is the time required for the siphon to break, which is preset to, for example, 600 seconds) has elapsed ("N" in step 9). During this time, as shown in (7) of FIG. 5C, all of the water in the water sampling tank 10 is sucked out, air is sucked in from the end of the siphon tube 61 on the water sampling tank 10 side, the siphon breaks, and the first co-washing step is completed.

[0034] Then, the above co-washing step (steps 6 to 9) is carried out multiple times (three times in this example) (step 10).

[0035] Next, the water sampling process (see FIG. 3(a)) is initiated. That is, the automatic valve 45-n is opened (step 11), water supply to the water sampling tank 10 is initiated, and this is maintained until the water supply / drainage control means 81 determines that the amount of water supplied has reached 20 L based on a signal from the flow rate measurement means 47 (step 12), after which the automatic valve 45-n is closed (step 13). As a result, the water sampling tank 10 is almost filled with the supplied water, as shown in (8) of FIG. 5C. This completes the water sampling process, and the process waits for another water sampling operation to be performed 14 days later.

[0036] Next, the number (if n=1, then n=2) of the automatic valve 45 that will perform the water sampling operation at the same time t0 on the following day is set (step 14), and the series of water sampling operations is completed.

[0037] In order to form a siphon using the siphon tube 61 and suck out all of the water in the water sampling tank 10, the height position of the lowest part of the water sampling tank 10, where one end of the siphon tube 61 is located, must be set at a position higher than the water surface position of the water that always remains in the drainage unit 70.

[0038] As explained above, the automatic water sampling device 1 comprises the water sampling tank 10 for storing sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis, the water supply means 40 for supplying water to the water sampling tank 10, the siphon means 60 for forming a siphon with the sampled water supplied to the water sampling tank 10 and draining the entire amount, the drainage starting means (automatic valve 45 and water supply / drain control means 81 for opening the automatic valve 45 at a predetermined timing) for starting drainage by the siphon means 60 by supplying sampled water to the water sampling tank 10 by the water supply means 40 up to the water levels a1 and a3 at which the siphon is formed, and the water supply / drain control means 81 for stopping the water supply by the water supply means 40. and drainage stopping means (automatic valve 45 and water supply / drain control means 81 that closes automatic valve 45 at a predetermined timing) that stops the drainage started by the drainage starting means by having siphon means 60 suck in air, and by repeating the supply of water to the water sampling tank 10 by the water supply means 40 and the drainage from the water sampling tank 10 by the drainage starting means and the drainage stopping means, the inside of the water sampling tank 10 is washed together with the water sampling, and further the sampled water is stored in the water sampling tank 10 by the water supply means 40 (water supply / drain control means 81 that performs steps 1 to 14).

[0039] This makes it possible to easily and fully automatically perform the drainage (discarding water), cleaning (co-washing), and water supply (sampling) processes, which are the work of replacing the water sampled for Cryptosporidium analysis stored in the water sampling tank 10, by simply controlling the ON / OFF of a single automatic valve 45, using simple equipment that utilizes the siphon principle, without having to lift and turn over the water sampling tank 10, which has a volume of, for example, 20 L.

[0040] Furthermore, when washing the water sampling tank 10, in this embodiment, water can be supplied to fill the water sampling tank 10, so that the entire inner surface of the water sampling tank 10 can be completely immersed in the sampled water. This can also be done automatically and repeatedly, which improves the analytical accuracy when actually analyzing Cryptosporidium.

[0041] In addition, the control by the water supply and drainage control means 81 that controls the water supply means 40, the drainage start means, and the drainage stop means can be performed automatically and easily with a simple configuration, for example by timer-controlling an automatic valve 45 such as an electromagnetic valve.

[0042] In this embodiment, a commercially available 20L polyethylene tank is used, so a water collection and storage means can be easily and inexpensively prepared without the need for a special container. Furthermore, the 20L polyethylene tank is attached to the mounting base 30 at an angle so that one corner of the bottom side is at the lowest point, so all of the water in the 20L polyethylene tank can be easily and reliably drained, allowing for effective co-washing.

[0043] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical concept described in the specification and drawings. Furthermore, any shape, structure, or material not directly described in the specification and drawings is within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention as long as it achieves the functions and effects of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, a commercially available 20L plastic container was used as the water sampling tank (water sampling storage means), but various other containers may also be used. Furthermore, while the water supply means is configured with a simple structure using an automatic valve and connecting the upstream side of the piping to a water supply faucet, any configuration that supplies water to the water sampling tank, such as a water supply pump, may be used.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the flow rate was measured using a flow rate measuring means as a means for supplying water up to the water level at which the siphon means starts draining water and then stopping the water supply. However, various other means may be used instead, such as using a sensor that detects the occurrence of siphoning by the siphon means, or using a configuration that uses a timer to supply water for a set period of time.

[0045] In the above embodiment, a timer is used to determine the timing for reopening the automatic valve after the drainage started by the drainage starting means is stopped by the siphon means sucking in air, but instead, a sensor may be used to detect when the siphoning effect caused by the siphon means has been broken.

[0046] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which water sampling tanks for 14 days were prepared and water was sampled every day, but the number of water sampling tanks may be any number of days other than the above, and various water sampling intervals may be used instead of every day, such as every few days or every few hours. In the above embodiment, the co-washing process was repeated three times, but it may be performed multiple times or only once.

[0047] Furthermore, the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings can be combined with each other as long as there is no contradiction in their purpose, configuration, etc. Furthermore, even a part of the description described above and the drawings can be an independent embodiment, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a single embodiment combining the description described above and the drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Automatic water sampling device (automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis) 10 Water sampling tank (water sampling storage means) 30 Retention means 40 Water supply means 45(45-1~14) Automatic valve 60 Siphon Means 70 Drainage unit 80 Control Panel 81 Water supply and drainage control means 100 Mounting stand

Claims

1. A water sampling and storage means consisting of a rectangular box-shaped tank for storing sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis; a water supply means for supplying water to the water collection and storage means; a water supply valve that turns on / off the supply of water to the water collection and storage means by the water supply means; a siphon means for forming a siphon to drain all of the collected water supplied to the water collection and storage means; a drainage starting means for starting drainage by the siphon means by supplying sampled water to the water sampling and storing means by the water supply means up to a water level at which the siphon is formed; a drainage stopping means for stopping the water supply by the water supply means and stopping the drainage started by the drainage starting means by sucking air into the siphon means; a flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of water supplied to the water sampling and storing means by the water supply means and outputting a flow rate measurement result at every fixed flow rate; a water supply / drainage control means for controlling the water supply valve on / off based on the flow rate measurement result input from the flow rate measurement means, thereby controlling the water supply means, the water discharge start means, and the water discharge stop means; and The water sampling and storing means is supported at an angle by the upper pair of tank support arms and the lower pair of tank support arms of a holding means, which is formed by connecting the legs on both the left and right sides with a pair of tank support arms installed on the upper and lower sides, and forming the distance between the upper pair of tank support arms to be longer than the distance between the lower pair of tank support arms, so that one corner of the bottom surface of the water sampling and storing means is positioned at the lowest part between the lower pair of tank support arms, and the tip of the siphon pipe constituting the siphon means, which is inserted into the water sampling and storing means, is positioned at the lowest part within the water sampling and storing means, The water supply and drainage control means controls the water supply valve on and off, thereby repeatedly supplying water to the water sampling and storage means by the water supply means and draining water from the water sampling and storage means by the drainage start means and the drainage stop means, thereby cleaning the inside of the water sampling and storage means with the water sampling, and further storing the sampled water in the water sampling and storage means by the water supply means.

2. The automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis according to claim 1, the water supply means has a water supply connection part connected to an opening provided in the water sampling storage means, and a pipe connected to the water supply connection part to supply tap water, the water supply connection part has a cylindrical shape with open top and bottom, the lower end of the water supply connection part is connected to the opening of the water sampling storage means, one end of the pipe is connected to a side of the water supply connection part, a siphon tube constituting the siphon means is inserted from the side of the water supply connection part below the part where the pipe is connected, and inserted from the opening at the lower end of the water supply connection part into the opening of the water sampling storage means, On the other hand, the apparatus further comprises a drainage unit comprising a container into which the drainage side end of the siphon pipe constituting the siphon means is inserted, This automatic water sampling device for Cryptosporidium analysis is characterized by having a pool of water that always remains at the bottom of the drainage unit, and the tip of the drainage side end of the siphon pipe is positioned in the pool of water to maintain a water-sealed state at all times.

3. A water sampling and storage means consisting of a rectangular box-shaped tank for storing sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis; a water supply means for supplying water to the water collection and storage means; a water supply valve that turns on / off the supply of water to the water collection and storage means by the water supply means; a siphon means for forming a siphon to drain all of the collected water supplied to the water collection and storage means; a flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of water supplied to the water sampling and storing means by the water supply means and outputting a flow rate measurement result at every fixed flow rate; a water supply / drainage control means for controlling the water supply valve to be on / off based on the flow rate measurement result input from the flow rate measurement means; Prepare The water sampling and storing means is supported at an angle by the upper pair of tank support arms and the lower pair of tank support arms of a holding means, which is formed by connecting the legs on both the left and right sides with a pair of tank support arms installed on the upper and lower sides, and forming the distance between the upper pair of tank support arms to be longer than the distance between the lower pair of tank support arms, so that one corner of the bottom surface of the water sampling and storing means is positioned at the lowest point between the lower pair of tank support arms, and the tip of the siphon pipe constituting the siphon means, which is inserted into the water sampling and storing means, is positioned at the lowest point within the water sampling and storing means, The water supply / drainage control means controls the water supply valve to turn on / off, a water supply step of supplying sampled water for Cryptosporidium analysis to the sampled water storage means; a drainage start step of causing the water level of the sampled water supplied to the sampled water storage means to exceed a predetermined water level or more, forming a siphon by the siphon means, and starting to drain the sampled water from the sampled water storage means; and a drainage stop step of stopping the water supply and continuing the drainage started by the drainage start step until the siphon by the siphon means sucks in air, thereby repeatedly performing these steps multiple times to wash the inside of the sampled water storage means together with the sampled water, Furthermore, after the common washing, a step of storing the collected water in the water collection and storage means by supplying water from the water supply means is performed.

1. An automatic water sampling method for Cryptosporidium analysis, comprising:

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