Column Cartridge

Abstract

To provide a column cartridge of chromatography capable of easily replacing a separation column while preventing an operator from contacting with a separation column-related configuration.SOLUTION: The column cartridge includes: a separation column having a built-in stationary phase located inside a cover with a through hole; a main unit storing the separation column and detachably arranged via a through-hole with respect to the column installation position inside the cover; and a handle provided to the main unit. The whole main unit is placed inside the cover placed at the column installation position, and a part of the handle protrudes to the outside of the cover through the through hole with the main unit placed in the column installation position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a column cartridge. [Background technology]

[0002] In liquid chromatography (LC) and solid phase extraction (SPE), samples are separated using a separation column packed with a packing material, which allows for the removal of impurities and enables highly accurate and high-S / N analysis. Separation columns must be replaced depending on the sample being measured or when their lifespan has expired.

[0003] Known techniques for replacing a separation column include, for example, those described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a separation column connecting device including: a column holder for holding a separation column; a first fitting holder mounting a first fitting having a seal portion that connects to a seal portion on the upstream side of the separation column and to which an upstream pipe is connected; a second fitting holder mounting a second fitting having a seal portion that connects to a seal portion on the downstream side of the separation column and to which a downstream pipe is connected; a main body member to which either the first fitting holder or the second fitting holder is fixed; a drive unit that moves the first fitting holder or the second fitting holder that is not fixed to the main body member relative to the main body member; a guide that guides the column holder in the direction of movement by the drive unit; and an elastic body provided between the column holder and the second fitting holder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 199335 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, to improve the throughput of a chromatograph, it is necessary to simplify the installation and removal of a separation column. Furthermore, when installing or removing a separation column, it is necessary to prevent the operator from coming into contact with liquid remaining in the flow path of the piping, the separation column that is not sufficiently cooled, the mechanism connecting the separation column to the piping, etc.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a chromatographic column cartridge that allows an operator to easily replace a separation column while suppressing contact with components related to the separation column. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and one example thereof is a system comprising: a separation column that is disposed inside a cover having a through hole and that incorporates a stationary phase; a main body that houses the separation column and is detachably attached to a column installation position inside the cover via the through hole; and a handle portion that is attached to the main body portion, wherein the entire main body portion is disposed inside the cover when disposed at the column installation position, and a part of the handle portion protrudes from the through hole to the outside of the cover when the main body portion is disposed at the column installation position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the separation column can be easily replaced while preventing the operator from coming into contact with components related to the separation column. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a chromatograph and related components of a mass spectrometer. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the column cartridge extracted. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a column cartridge installed in a chromatograph. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a column cartridge is installed in a chromatograph. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] In this embodiment, a liquid chromatograph (LC) will be described as an example of a chromatograph, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to other chromatographs such as a high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC), an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (UHPLC), and a gas chromatograph (GC).

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a chromatograph and its related components in a mass spectrometer according to the present embodiment.

[0013] In this embodiment, a liquid chromatograph (LC) is used as an example of a chromatograph, and a sample (mobile phase) that has undergone pretreatment such as purification / concentration in a pretreatment section (not shown) is delivered to the chromatograph by a shipper or a liquid delivery mechanism (such as a syringe, liquid delivery pump, or injector) (not shown).

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the mass spectrometer 100 includes a chromatograph 110, a switching device 120, a detector 130, and a control device 140.

[0015] The chromatograph 110 is, for example, a liquid chromatograph, and is provided with a plurality of column cartridges 110a to 110c, each of which incorporates a separation column 115a (see FIG. 4) described later.

[0016] The switching device 120 is a stream select valve that selectively switches the connections between the multiple column cartridges 110a to 110c and the detector 130, and the sample (mobile phase) is delivered to the detector 130 via the column cartridge 110a to 110c selected by the switching device 120 from the multiple column cartridges 110a to 110c. The flow paths for each of the column cartridges 110a to 110c have the same configuration and are arranged in parallel.

[0017] The detector 130 is a mass spectrometer, and for example, a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer is used. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer is characterized by excellent quantitative performance. The mass spectrometer does not have to be a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Triple Q-MS), and may be an ion trap mass spectrometer (Iontrap-MS) or a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). The detector 130 may not be a mass spectrometer, but may be a diode array detector, a UV detector, or a fluorescence detector.

[0018] The control device 140 controls the overall operation of the mass spectrometer 100 and is, for example, a personal computer (PC) or a mass spectrometer driver. The control device 140 has various functional units, such as a memory unit that stores programs, various settings, and other information necessary for analysis (e.g., physical property information (viscosity, etc.) of the sample), a control unit that performs calculations such as control signals using the programs stored in the memory unit, and a signal output unit that outputs control signals to various components of the automated analyzer to drive them. The control device 140 controls the operation of the mass spectrometer 100 based on instructions and information from an input device (not shown). The control device 140 adjusts the times of the equilibration step, elution step, and washing step of the analytical column, as well as the washing step of the injector, so that the sample (mobile phase) passing through the chromatograph 110 is introduced into the detector 130 without interruption from one of the multiple column cartridges 110a to 110c, thereby reducing the standby time (time when analysis is not performed) of the detector 130.

[0019] Here, the chromatograph 110 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, of the multiple column cartridges 110a to 110c, the column cartridge 110a will be described as a representative, but the same applies to the other column cartridges 110b to 110c.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the column cartridge, Fig. 3 is a perspective transparent view showing the column cartridge installed in a chromatograph, and Fig. 4 is a side view schematically showing the column cartridge installed in a chromatograph.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the column cartridge 110a is roughly composed of a main body 111a containing a separation column 115a, a handle 114a protruding from the top of 111a, an upstream connection part 112a through which an upstream piping 160a (see FIGS. 3 and 4) described later is connected to the internal separation column 115a, and a downstream connection part 113a through which a downstream piping 170a (see FIGS. 3 and 4) described later is connected to the internal separation column 115a.

[0022] The separation column 115a is packed with a packing material having an inner diameter of 1.0 mm, a length of 50 mm, and a particle diameter of 2.6 mm as a stationary phase. The separation mode of the separation column 115a may be a reversed phase mode, a normal phase mode, a molecular weight fractionation mode, a HILIC mode, an antigen-antibody reaction mode, or the like.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the column cartridge 110a is detachably provided in the column installation position 150a of the chromatograph 110.

[0024] At the column installation position 150a, there are arranged an upstream pipe 160a that is detachably attached to the upstream connection part 112a of the column cartridge 110a when installed at the column installation position 150a and supplies a mobile phase to the separation column 115a housed in the column cartridge 110a, a downstream pipe 170a that is detachably attached to the downstream connection part 113a of the column cartridge 110a when installed at the column installation position 150a and delivers the sample (mobile phase) that has passed through the separation column 115a housed in the column cartridge 110a, and a column oven 151a that regulates the temperature of the analytical column.

[0025] The upstream piping 160a is equipped with an upstream piping movement mechanism 161a that moves the upstream piping 160a in the axial direction to attach and detach it to and from the upstream connection part 112a of the column cartridge 110a installed at the column installation position 150a. The downstream piping 170a is equipped with a downstream piping movement mechanism 171a that moves the downstream piping 170a in the axial direction to attach and detach it to and from the column cartridge 110a installed at the column installation position 150a. The upstream piping movement mechanism 161a and the downstream piping movement mechanism 171a are, for example, electric actuators such as electric motors (including rack-and-pinion systems) controlled by the control device 140.

[0026] The chromatograph 110 also includes a cover 180 that integrally covers the column installation position 150a, the upstream piping 160a, and the downstream piping 170a, separating the inside from the outside. The cover 180 is provided with an insertion hole 181a that penetrates the cover 180 and allows the column cartridge 110a to be installed at the column installation position 150a from the outside of the cover 180.

[0027] The column cartridge 110a is placed at the column installation position 150a of the chromatograph 110, for example, by an operator holding the handle 114a and inserting it into the insertion hole 181a of the cover 180. When the placement of the column cartridge 110a at the column installation position 150a is detected by a sensor or the like, or when the operator performs an operation indicating completion of installation, the upstream piping moving mechanism 161a and the downstream piping moving mechanism 171a connect the upstream piping 160a and the downstream piping 170a to the column cartridge 110a, thereby completing the installation of the column cartridge 110a at the column installation position 150a (i.e., the chromatograph 110).

[0028] Furthermore, when the column cartridge 110a is installed at the column installation position 150a (i.e., the chromatograph 110), for example, an operator may perform an operation to start removing the column cartridge 110a, which causes the upstream piping 160a and the downstream piping 170a to be disconnected from the column cartridge 110a by the upstream piping moving mechanism 161a and the downstream piping moving mechanism 171a. Then, in this state, for example, the operator may grasp the handle 114a and pull out the column cartridge 110a through the insertion hole 181a of the cover 180, thereby removing the column cartridge 110a from the column installation position 150a (i.e., the chromatograph 110).

[0029] Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to an example in which the insertion hole 181a is configured in an open state, this is not limiting. For example, a cover member that covers the insertion hole 181a from below (inside) and that can be rotated downward to retract from the insertion hole 181a may be provided, and the cover member may be held in a position covering the insertion hole 181a by a spring or the like. With this configuration, when the column cartridge 110a is not installed at the column installation position 150a, the cover member covers the insertion hole 181a, thereby preventing dust and the like from entering the interior of the cover 180 through the insertion hole 181a and preventing the operator from coming into contact with the internal components of the cover 180. Furthermore, since the force generated by inserting the column cartridge 110a into the insertion hole 181a becomes greater than the biasing force of the spring or the like on the cover member, the cover member retracts from the position covering the insertion hole 181a as the column cartridge 110a is inserted into the insertion hole 181a, thereby not interfering with the installation of the column cartridge 110a at the column installation position 150a.

[0030] In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the column cartridge 110a is removed from the column installation position 150a by the operator gripping and pulling out the handle 114a of the column cartridge 110a has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in a state where the upstream piping 160a and the downstream piping 170a are separated from the column cartridge 110a, the column cartridge 110a may be configured so that the column cartridge 110a is pushed upward from the column installation position 150a through the insertion hole 181a by pressing a button provided on the outside of the cover 180.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upstream piping moving mechanism 161a and the downstream piping moving mechanism 171a are described as being electric actuators, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upstream piping moving mechanism 161a and the downstream piping moving mechanism 171a may be configured so that the upstream piping 160a and the downstream piping 170a are attached to and detached from the column cartridge 110a by tilting a lever or rotating a handle provided on the outside of the cover 180.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the upstream piping 160a and the downstream piping 170a are attached to and detached from the column cartridge 110a placed at the column installation position 150a by the upstream piping movement mechanism 161a and the downstream piping movement mechanism 171a has been described as an example, but this is not limiting. For example, the upstream piping 160a may be fixed, and the column cartridge 110a and the upstream piping 160a may be connected as the column cartridge 110a is placed at the column installation position 150a. After the column cartridge 110a is installed at the column installation position 150a, the downstream piping 170a may be connected to the column cartridge 110a by the downstream piping movement mechanism 171a. The upstream and downstream configurations may be reversed. The same applies to removing the column cartridge 110a from the column installation position 150a.

[0033] Various installation modes of the column cartridge 110a relative to the column installation position 150a are possible, but for example, by forming the column oven 151a so that it has a convex shape upward and forming a concave shape on the bottom (the part opposite the handle 114a) that engages with the column oven 151a, and placing the column cartridge 110a at the column installation position 150a, the column cartridge 110a is accurately positioned at a predetermined position at the column installation position 150a. Furthermore, since the column cartridge 110a and the column oven 151a are in closer contact with each other, the temperature of the separation column 115a housed in the column cartridge 110a can be more accurately controlled.

[0034] The other column cartridges 110b-110c also have similar column installation position configurations. That is, the flow paths for each of the column cartridges 110a-110c have the same configuration and are arranged in parallel. The column installation positions, upstream piping, and downstream piping corresponding to each of the column cartridges 110a-110c are integrally covered by a cover 180 that separates the inside from the outside. The cover 180 has multiple insertion holes that penetrate the cover 180 and allow the column cartridges 110a-110c to be installed from the outside of the cover 180 at the column installation positions corresponding to each of the column cartridges 110a-110c.

[0035] The effects of this embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0036] To improve the throughput of a chromatograph, it is necessary to simplify the installation and removal of a separation column. Furthermore, when installing or removing a separation column, it is necessary to prevent the operator from coming into contact with liquid remaining in the flow path of the piping, an insufficiently cooled separation column, or the mechanism connecting the separation column to the piping.

[0037] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, there are provided a separation column 115a incorporating a stationary phase, a column cartridge 110a containing the separation column 115a and detachably provided at a predetermined column installation position 150a, an upstream pipe 160a detachably provided with respect to the column cartridge 110a when installed at the column installation position 150a and for supplying a mobile phase to the separation column 115a of the column cartridge 110a, and a column cartridge 110a detachably provided with respect to the column cartridge 110a when installed at the column installation position 150a and for supplying a mobile phase to the separation column 115a of the column cartridge 110a. The system is equipped with a downstream pipe 170a that delivers the mobile phase that has passed through the separation column 115a of the cartridge 110a, and a cover 180 that integrally covers the column installation position 150a, the upstream pipe 160a, and the downstream pipe 170a to separate the inside from the outside, and the cover 180 is configured to have an insertion hole 181a that penetrates the cover 180 and allows the column cartridge 110a to be installed at the column installation position 150a from the outside of the cover 180, so that the separation column can be easily replaced while preventing the operator from coming into contact with the separation column-related components.

[0038] <Additional Notes> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and combinations within the scope of the gist thereof. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to those including all of the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which some of the configurations are omitted. Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in part or in whole by designing them as, for example, integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 100... mass spectrometer, 110... chromatograph, 110a... column cartridge, 110b... column cartridge, 110c... column cartridge, 111a... main body, 112a... upstream connection part, 113a... downstream connection part, 114a... handle, 115a... separation column, 120... switching device, 130... detector, 140... control device, 150a... column installation position, 151a... column oven, 160a... upstream piping, 161a... upstream piping movement mechanism, 170a... downstream piping, 171a... downstream piping movement mechanism, 180... cover, 181a... insertion hole

Claims

1. a separation column incorporating a stationary phase; a main body that houses the separation column, is disposed inside a cover having a through hole at a distance from the cover, and is detachably provided via the through hole at a column installation position inside the cover; a handle portion provided to protrude from an upper portion of the main body portion, The main body portion is an upstream connection portion to which an upstream pipe for supplying a mobile phase to the separation column is moved in an axial direction relative to the main body portion when the main body portion is installed at the column installation position, and which is attached and detached; a downstream connection part to which a downstream pipe for delivering the mobile phase that has passed through the separation column is moved axially relative to the main body part when the main body part is installed at the column installation position, the entire main body including the upstream connection portion and the downstream connection portion is disposed inside the cover while being disposed at the column installation position; a portion of the handle portion protruding from the through-hole to the outside of the cover when the main body portion is disposed at the column installation position; Column cartridge.

2. 2. The column cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a recessed portion is formed on the bottom of the main body opposite to the top where the handle is provided, the recessed portion being adapted to engage with a protruding portion formed at the column installation position.

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