Syringe-based liquid supply system

Abstract

To stably transfer only liquid without including a gas in a non-gravitation environment, and in a minute gravitation environment.SOLUTION: A liquid supply system comprises: a liquid transfer line SL for transferring liquid by a liquid volume type pump 2 while using as a tank, a syringe 1; and a bypass line BL which branches from the liquid transfer line SL and bypasses the pump 2, and as necessary, the liquid supply system comprises an opening valve 3 on the bypass line BL so as to utilize the syringe 1 as a manual pump when the pump 2 is broken, for supplying the liquid. In addition, the syringe main body 1 has a liquid volume scale 10, and the syringe main body 4 and a plunger 5 have a proximity sensor 11 attached thereto, for detecting that the plunger 5 approaches to a pressing limit position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid supply system using a syringe for stably supplying liquid in a zero-gravity environment or a microgravity environment. [Background technology]

[0002] In a zero-gravity or microgravity environment such as a space station or the surface of the moon, liquids and gases do not separate due to gravity, so terrestrial liquid supply devices that utilize gravity cannot be used as they are to supply liquids such as water needed to grow plants or laboratory animals. Therefore, as devices for use in such space environments, conventionally proposed liquid transfer devices include a liquid transfer device in which a flexible liquid transfer pipe is filled with a wick, liquid that sticks to the wall of a liquid storage tank due to surface tension in zero gravity is permeated into the wick by capillary action, and the liquid is transferred by sequentially compressing the transfer pipe with squeeze rollers driven by a motor (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and a liquid supply device in which a balloon is supported by a support member inside a cylindrical case, a filling port on the support member is connected to a liquid source, liquid such as water is supplied to the balloon, and the liquid is pushed out into a pipe from an outlet by the balloon's contraction force (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-82287 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-88602 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technology, it is not possible to completely separate the liquid contained in a tank or the like from the gas in a zero-gravity environment or microgravity environment such as space, and it is not possible to stably transport only the liquid.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable stable transfer of only liquid without mixing in gas in a zero-gravity environment or a microgravity environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention utilizes a syringe, a device that can store and dispense only liquid without mixing in gas, as a tank for storing liquid, and transfers the liquid filled in the syringe with a pump separate from the syringe, thereby preventing the mixing in of gas and ensuring the stable transfer of only liquid in a zero-gravity environment and a microgravity environment, allowing the tank capacity and type of liquid to be supplied to be easily changed without restriction to suit the conditions of use, allowing the pump to be changed to suit the conditions of use, there are no restrictions on the placement of the pump and control unit, it does not take up space, and it is easy to control and manage.In addition, in such a liquid supply system, the syringe can also be used as a manual pump in the event of a pump failure.

[0007] That is, the liquid supply system of the invention according to claim 1 is a liquid supply system using a syringe, and is characterized in that it uses a syringe consisting of a cylindrical syringe body having a nozzle portion at one end and an opening at the other end, and a rod-shaped plunger having an airtight sliding portion at its tip end inserted into the syringe body, and the nozzle portion is connected to the suction side of a positive displacement pump for liquid to form a liquid transfer line that transfers the liquid in the syringe by the pump.Furthermore, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration of the invention according to claim 1, a bypass line that branches off from the liquid transfer line to bypass the pump, and an open / close valve is provided on the bypass line.

[0008] In the liquid supply system of the invention according to claim 1, the tip of a syringe filled with only liquid is connected to the pump suction side of a liquid transfer line via a tube or the like. The pump is then operated, and the liquid in the syringe is transferred by the pump. At this time, the syringe plunger is sucked in and moves along with the liquid. At this time, the inside of the syringe, which serves as a tank, is filled with only liquid, and the suction side of the pump is sealed, so the plunger moves as the pump transfers the liquid, and the pressure inside the piping and syringe on the pump suction side does not become negative. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inclusion of gas and to stably transfer only liquid in a zero-gravity environment or a microgravity environment.

[0009] Furthermore, according to the liquid supply system of the invention defined in claim 2, when the pump breaks down, the liquid can be supplied manually by opening the open / close valve of the bypass line and pressing the plunger of the syringe.

[0010] Furthermore, in the liquid supply system of the present invention (invention related to claims 1 and 2), when the amount of liquid in the syringe becomes low, the syringe can be removed and replaced with a new syringe filled with liquid, which can be done with a simple procedure.

[0011] Furthermore, in the liquid supply system of the present invention, multiple syringes can be connected in parallel, allowing multiple syringes to be used simultaneously to increase the capacity of the tank. Also, the syringe to be used can be switched using a valve, allowing for seamless syringe replacement, or the supply of different liquids by switching between them.

[0012] Furthermore, in the liquid supply system of the present invention, the syringe is provided with a scale indicating the amount of liquid inside, so that the amount of transferred liquid can be visually confirmed.

[0013] Furthermore, in the liquid supply system of the present invention, sensors can be attached to the syringe body and plunger to detect the amount of pressure applied to the syringe, and based on this data, the amount of liquid in the syringe, the amount of liquid transferred, etc. can be determined and used to control pumps, etc.

[0014] In addition, in the liquid supply system of the present invention, a proximity sensor can be attached to the syringe body and plunger to detect when the plunger approaches the limit of depression, thereby preventing the pump from operating beyond the limit of the syringe capacity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to stably transfer only liquid without mixing in gas in a zero-gravity environment or a microgravity environment. Furthermore, if the pump breaks down, the syringe can be used as a manual pump to supply liquid.

[0016] Furthermore, the tank capacity and the type of liquid to be supplied can be easily changed without any restrictions in accordance with the conditions of use, and the pump can be changed in accordance with the conditions of use.

[0017] Furthermore, the syringe used as the tank is simple and places few restrictions on the installation location, and does not place restrictions on the placement of the pump and control unit, making the entire system space-saving and easy to control and manage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a liquid supply system using a syringe according to an example embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a liquid supply system using a syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention. This liquid supply system is suitable for supplying nutrient solution for plant growth, for example, in a zero-gravity or microgravity environment such as a space station or the surface of the moon (although it is not limited to supplying nutrient solution for plant growth and can be applied to various applications requiring liquid supply in a zero-gravity or microgravity environment). It comprises a liquid transfer line SL that transfers liquid through a syringe 1 as a liquid source (tank), a positive displacement liquid pump 2 such as a tube pump (not limited to a tube pump; other pumps can be used as appropriate depending on the application. However, when used to supply nutrient solution for plant growth, for example, a pump that is not likely to contain metals such as Cu is desirable, and a tube pump is preferred), and a bypass line BL that branches off from the liquid transfer line SL and bypasses the pump 2. The bypass line BL is provided with an on-off valve 3.

[0020] The syringe 1 is composed of a cylindrical syringe body 4 and a rod-shaped plunger 5 inserted into the syringe body 4. The syringe body 4 has a nozzle 6 at one end (tip) and an opening 7 at the other end (base), with a flange 8 provided around the opening 7. The plunger 5 has an airtight sliding contact portion (not shown) at one end (tip) and a flange 9 at the other end (base). The syringe body 4 is provided with a liquid level scale 10 so that the amount of liquid inside can be visually checked. The plunger 5 is inserted into the syringe body 4 through the opening 4 with the airtight sliding portion at the tip, and is movable axially in an airtight sliding contact state along the inner wall of the syringe body 4. In this embodiment, proximity sensors 11 are attached to the flange 8 located at the base end of the syringe body 4 and to the flange 9 of the plunger 5 to detect when the plunger 5 approaches the limit of insertion.

[0021] In this liquid supply system, the nozzle 6 of the syringe 1 containing the liquid is connected to the suction side of the pump 2 via a tube or the like. Then, the pump 2 is operated to suck the liquid from the syringe 1 and transfer it to the destination via the liquid supply line SL. At this time, the plunger of the syringe 1 is sucked in as the liquid is transferred and moves along with the liquid. Therefore, in a zero-gravity or microgravity environment, it is possible to prevent the mixing of gas and to stably transfer only liquid. Also, in the unlikely event that pump 2 breaks down, liquid can be supplied by opening valve 3 on bypass line BL and pressing plunger 5 on syringe 1.

[0022] In this liquid supply system, the amount of liquid transferred from syringe 1 and the amount of liquid remaining in syringe 1 can be visually confirmed by scale 10 on syringe body 4. When the liquid in syringe 1 runs out or the remaining amount becomes low, syringe 1 is removed and replaced with a new syringe 1 filled with liquid. This can be done with a simple procedure.

[0023] Furthermore, in this liquid supply system, proximity sensor 11 detects that plunger 5 has approached the limit of depression, making it possible to control pump 2 so as to prevent it from operating beyond the capacity limit of syringe 1. Instead of proximity sensor 11, it is also possible to attach sensors to syringe body 4 and plunger 5 to continuously detect the amount of depression of syringe 1, and use this data to determine the amount of liquid in syringe 1, the amount of liquid transferred, etc., and use this information to control pump 2, etc.

[0024] This liquid supply system can also be configured so that multiple syringes 1 are connected in parallel. In this case, piping can be configured so that multiple syringes 1 can be used simultaneously, thereby increasing the tank capacity. Also, piping can be configured with a valve for each syringe 1, so that the syringe 1 to be used can be switched using the valve. By switching between syringes 1 using the valve in this way, syringes 1 can be replaced seamlessly, and different liquids can also be switched and supplied. In this way, the tank capacity and the type of liquid to be supplied can be easily changed without any restrictions to suit the conditions of use.

[0025] In this liquid supply system, the syringe 1 used as a tank has a simple configuration and places few restrictions on where it can be installed, and there are no restrictions on the placement of the pump 2 and control unit, making the system as a whole space-saving and easy to control and manage.

[0026] The above describes an example in which a bypass line BL is provided, but the liquid supply system using the syringe of the present invention can also be embodied in a manner that does not provide a bypass line BL, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 syringe 2 pumps 3. Opening and closing valve 4 Syringe body 5 pusher 6 Nozzle section 7 Openings 8 Flange 9 Flange 10 Liquid level scale 11 Proximity Sensor SL Liquid Transfer Line BL Bypass Line

Claims

1. A liquid supply system using a syringe, characterized in that the syringe is configured as follows: a cylindrical syringe body having a nozzle portion at one end and an opening portion at the other end, into which a rod-shaped plunger having an airtight sliding portion at its tip end is inserted; the syringe body is equipped with a flange portion located at the base end of the syringe body and a flange portion of the plunger, and the nozzle portion is connected to the suction side of a positive displacement pump for liquid to form a liquid transfer line that transfers the liquid in the syringe by the pump.

2. 2. A liquid supply system using a syringe according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass line branching off from said liquid transfer line to bypass said pump, said bypass line being provided with an open / close valve.

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