Quality analysis device

Abstract

Provided is a mass spectrometry device in which a plurality of multipole electrodes can be easily maintained. The mass spectrometry device comprises a plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 that are housed inside the chamber of a vacuum chamber 250, and a single holding member 620 that holds the plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 so that ion optical axes of the plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be aligned. The holding member 620 is configured to be able to run on a running rail 610 to move the plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 to the outside of the chamber of the vacuum chamber 250.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mass spectrometer including a plurality of multipole electrodes.

Background Art

[0002] A mass spectrometer is a device that ionizes a sample and analyzes the ions according to the mass-to-charge ratio. Generally, a mass spectrometer includes an ion source that ionizes a sample, a mass analysis unit that separates the ions according to the mass-to-charge ratio, and a detection unit that detects the amount of ions that have passed through the mass analysis unit. The mass analysis unit is stored in a vacuum chamber, but may be taken out of the vacuum chamber for maintenance or component replacement.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that enables an ion guide assembly having a multipole electrode to be taken out of a vacuum chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The multipole electrodes of a mass spectrometer may be taken out of the vacuum chamber for maintenance (replacement or cleaning), but Patent Document 1 focuses only on an assembly having one multipole electrode, and cases using a plurality of multipole electrodes have not been studied.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mass spectrometer capable of easily maintaining a plurality of multipole electrodes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the mass spectrometer of the present invention comprises a plurality of multipole electrodes housed in a vacuum chamber, and a holding member that holds the plurality of multipole electrodes so that the ion optical axes of the plurality of multipole electrodes coincide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, since multiple multipolar electrodes are held in a single holding member, the multiple multipolar electrodes can be easily maintained simply by removing this single holding member from the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the ion optical axes of multiple multipole electrodes are held in a single holding member so as to coincide, it is possible to prevent misalignment of the ion optical axes due to attachment and detachment compared to when multiple multipole electrodes are handled individually. The aforementioned issues, configuration, and effects will be clarified by the description of the embodiments below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the mass spectrometer 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the detailed configuration of the analysis unit 200 and its surrounding area in the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged view of the cam mechanism 630 of the embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows the state in which the holding member 620 of the embodiment is raised. [Figure 5] This figure shows the state in which the holding member 620 of the embodiment has moved along the running rail 610. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative examples for explaining the present invention, and have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can also be carried out in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0011] The positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges of the components shown in the drawings may not represent their actual positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges disclosed in the drawings.

[0012] When there are multiple components with the same or similar function, they may be described using the same symbol but with different subscripts. Furthermore, when it is not necessary to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted in the description.

[0013] (Mass spectrometer 1) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the mass spectrometer 1 of this embodiment. The mass spectrometer 1 mainly comprises an ion source 100, an analysis unit 200 that analyzes ions supplied from the ion source 100 by mass separation, and a detector 300 that detects ions. In the mass spectrometer 1, the sample S to be measured, supplied from a pump such as a liquid chromatograph, is ionized by the ion source 100. Since the ion source 100 is under atmospheric pressure and the analysis unit 200 operates in a vacuum atmosphere, ions 110 are introduced into the vacuum chamber 250 via an interface 400 between the atmosphere and the vacuum atmosphere. A vacuum pump (not shown) is provided in the vacuum chamber 250 (vacuum chamber), and the inside of the vacuum chamber 250 is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

[0014] (Analysis Department 200) The analysis unit 200 of this embodiment is a triple multipole mass spectrometer having a plurality (three in this embodiment) of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230. The multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 are housed in a vacuum chamber 250. Each of the plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 has four rod electrodes 211, 221, and 231. The number of rod electrodes is not limited to four. Each of the four rod electrodes 211 of the multipole electrode 210 and the four rod electrodes 231 of the multipole electrode 230 are fixed on the holding member 620 (see Figure 2) by holders 212 and 232. The four rod electrodes 221 of the multipole electrode 220 are also fixed on the holding member 620 (see Figure 2) by a holder (not shown).

[0015] The ions 110 generated from the ion source 100 have various masses, but the multipole electrode 210 selectively allows only the target ions originating from the sample to pass through. The second stage multipole electrode 220 is placed inside a collision cell 240, which contains a collision gas (such as nitrogen or argon) to dissociate the target ions. The multipole electrode 220 generates fragment ions by colliding the target ions that have passed through the multipole electrode 210 with the collision gas. The generated fragment ions enter the third stage multipole electrode 230. The multipole electrode 230 selectively allows only the target fragment ions to pass through. The target fragment ions that have passed through the multipole electrode 230 are detected by the detector 300.

[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed configuration of the analysis unit 200 and its surroundings in this embodiment. Next, the detailed configuration of the analysis unit 200 and its surroundings will be described with reference to Figure 2.

[0017] (power supply configuration) Referring to FIG. 2, a power supply configuration for supplying power to a load in the vacuum chamber 250 will be described. Outside the vacuum chamber 250, a power supply 500 for supplying power to a load (multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, 230, etc.) in the vacuum chamber 250 is provided. Also, a plurality of power receiving substrates 520 for receiving power from the power supply 500 are attached to a holding member 620 described later. The power supplied from the power supply 500 is received by the plurality of power receiving substrates 520 via a plurality of supply terminals 510. The supply terminals 510 are electrically connected to the power receiving substrates 520 and supply the power supplied from the power supply 500 to the power receiving substrates 520. The power receiving substrates 520 supply power to each load (for example, multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, 230) in the vacuum chamber 250.

[0018] (Moving mechanism) Next, a moving mechanism for moving the plurality of multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 will be described. The moving mechanism includes a single holding member 620 that holds the plurality of multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230. The single holding member 620 may be composed of a single part or may be a structure integrally formed by combining a plurality of parts. This holding member 620 holds the plurality of multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 such that the ion optical axes of the plurality of multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 coincide. The ion optical axis of the multi-pole electrode 210 is a central axis that is equidistant from the four rod electrodes 211, and the four rod electrodes 211 are arranged at equal angular intervals (90°) around the central axis. Since the ion optical axes of the multi-pole electrodes 220 and 230 are the same as that of the multi-pole electrode 21, their descriptions will be omitted.

[0019] Inside the vacuum chamber 250, a traveling rail 610 is laid along the ion optical axis direction (X direction). The holding member 620 moves along the traveling rail 610. By moving the holding member 620 along the traveling rail 610, the plurality of multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 held by the holding member 620 can move from the inside to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250 or from the outside to the inside of the vacuum chamber 250.

[0020] Furthermore, multiple cam mechanisms 630 are attached to the retaining member 620. Details of the cam mechanisms 630 will be described later.

[0021] A connecting member 640 is attached to one end of the cam mechanism 630. The connecting member 640 connects the operating lever 650, which is operated by the user, to the cam mechanism 630. The connecting member 640 rotates the cam mechanism 630 as the operating lever 650 rotates, raising the holding member 620. In addition, the connecting member 640 moves the holding member 620 and the cam mechanism 630 along the X direction as the operating lever 650 moves in the X direction.

[0022] The operating lever 650 is a lever operated by the user and is rotatably connected to the retaining member 620. A connecting member 640 is also connected to the operating lever 650. When the operating lever 650 is rotated by the user, the connecting member 640 is pulled in the X direction, causing the cam mechanism 630 to rotate. When the cam mechanism 630 rotates, the retaining member 620 attached to the cam mechanism 630 rises, and the multiple multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 mounted on the retaining member 620 rise. In this way, the rotational operation of the user's operating lever 650 causes the cam mechanism 630 to separate the power receiving board 520 and the power supply terminal 510.

[0023] Furthermore, when the user moves the operating lever 650 along the X direction, the holding member 620 is pulled in the X direction (towards the ion source 100), causing the multiple multi-electrode electrodes 210, 220, and 230 mounted on the holding member 620 to move in the X direction. In this way, the user's sliding operation of the operating lever 650 causes the holding member 620 to move outside the vacuum chamber 250.

[0024] Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the cam mechanism 630 of this embodiment. The cam mechanism 630 is a separation mechanism that separates the power receiving board 520 attached to the holding member 620 side and the supply terminal 510 attached to the vacuum chamber 250 side. The cam mechanism 630 has a rotating part 631 that rotates the cam mechanism 630, a holding member mounting part 632 that is attached to the holding member 620, and a connecting member mounting part 633 that is attached to the connecting member 640. By rotating the operating lever 650, force is transmitted to the cam mechanism 630 via the connecting member 640, and the cam mechanism 630 rotates around the rotating part 631. When the cam mechanism 630 rotates, the holding member 620 attached to the holding member mounting part 632 rises in the Y direction.

[0025] Figure 4 shows the state in which the holding member 620 of this embodiment is raised. When the operating lever 650 is rotated to raise the holding member 620 in the Y direction, the power receiving board 520 attached to the lower part of the holding member 620 also rises in the Y direction. At this time, the power receiving board 520 moves away from the supply terminal 510, and the power supply 500 and the power receiving board 520 are electrically disconnected.

[0026] Figure 5 shows the state in which the holding member 620 of this embodiment has moved along the running rail 610. In this embodiment, when the holding member 620 is raised, that is, when the power supply 500 and the power receiving board 520 are electrically disconnected, pulling the operating lever 650 in the X direction causes the holding member 620 to move along the running rail 610 in the X direction. This makes it possible to move the multiple multi-pole electrodes 210, 220 and 230 mounted on the holding member 620 to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250 all at once.

[0027] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the separation direction (Y direction) in which the cam mechanism 630 (separation mechanism) separates the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 is different from the movement direction (X direction) in which the holding member 620 is moved outside the vacuum chamber 250.

[0028] (Effects of the embodiment) In this embodiment, since one holding member 620 holds multiple multipolar electrodes 210, 220, and 230, the multiple multipolar electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be easily and collectively maintained simply by moving the holding member 620 outside the vacuum chamber 250.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the ion optical axes of multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 are held by a single holding member 620 so as to coincide, misalignment of the ion optical axes due to attachment and detachment can be prevented compared to the case where multiple multipole electrodes are handled individually. As a result, the ion transmittance is improved.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing a moving mechanism that includes a running rail 610 and a holding member 620 that runs on the running rail 610, the multiple multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be moved outside the vacuum chamber 250. As a result, maintenance of the multiple multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be performed all at once outside the vacuum chamber 250.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple multi-pole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be moved outside the vacuum chamber 250 while the electrical connection between the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 is disconnected. In addition, by raising the holding member 620, it is possible to prevent the movement of the holding member 620 from interfering with the supply terminal 510.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by making the separation direction (Y direction) between the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 different from the movement direction (X direction) of the holding member 620, the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 can be laid out without being restricted by the movement direction of the holding member 620.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 can be separated by a first operation (rotation operation) of the operating lever 650, and the holding member 620 can be moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250 by a second operation (slide operation) of the operating lever 650. In other words, in this embodiment, both the separation of the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 and the sliding movement of the holding member 620 can be performed by operating the operating lever 650 alone.

[0034] (modified version) The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 1...Mass spectrometer 100... Ion source 200…Analysis Department 210,220,230…Multipole electrode 211, 221, 231… Rod electrodes 212,232…holder 240...Collision cell 250... Vacuum Chamber 300... Detector 400… Interface 500…Power supply 510…Supply terminal 520... Power receiving board 610... Rails 620... Retaining member 630... Cam mechanism 631... Rotating part 632... Mounting part for retaining member 633...Connecting member mounting section 640…Connecting member 650...Operating lever

Claims

1. Multiple multi-pole electrodes housed in a vacuum chamber, A holding member is configured to hold the plurality of multipolar electrodes so that their ion optical axes coincide, and to allow the plurality of multipolar electrodes to move outside the vacuum chamber, A power supply provided outside the vacuum chamber, A power receiving board is provided in the vacuum chamber, A power supply terminal that electrically connects the power supply and the power receiving board, A separation mechanism for separating the power receiving board attached to the holding member side and the supply terminal attached to the vacuum chamber side, The holding member is attached to an operating lever for operating the separation mechanism, The holding member moves the plurality of multi-pole electrodes outside the vacuum chamber while the electrical connection between the power receiving board and the supply terminal is disconnected. The separation direction that separates the power receiving board and the supply terminal by the separation mechanism is different from the movement direction that moves the holding member outside the vacuum chamber. A first operation of the user's operating lever causes the separation mechanism to separate the power receiving board and the power supply terminal, and a second operation of the user's operating lever moves the holding member outside the vacuum chamber. A mass spectrometer characterized by the following features.

2. The holding member is configured to move out of the vacuum chamber toward the ion source that supplies ions from within the vacuum chamber. The mass spectrometer according to feature 1.

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