Mass spectrometry 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

mass spectrometer

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

[0002] A mass spectrometer is a device that ionizes a sample and analyzes the ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio. Generally, a mass spectrometer comprises an ion source that ionizes the sample, a mass analyzer that separates the ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio, and a detector that detects the amount of ions that have passed through the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer is housed in a vacuum chamber, but may be removed from the vacuum chamber for maintenance or part replacement.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that enables an ion guide assembly having multipole electrodes to be removed from a vacuum chamber.

[0004] International Publication No. 2019 / 122921

[0005] The multipole electrodes of a mass spectrometer may be removed from the vacuum chamber for maintenance (replacement or cleaning), but Patent Document 1 focuses only on assemblies having one multipole electrode, and does not consider cases where multiple multipole electrodes are used.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mass spectrometer that allows for easy maintenance of a plurality of multipole electrodes.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a mass spectrometer of the present invention includes 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 are aligned.

[0008] According to the present invention, since a plurality of multipole electrodes are held by a single holding member, maintenance of the plurality of multipole electrodes can be easily performed simply by removing this single holding member from the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since a plurality of multipole electrodes are held by a single holding member so that their ion optical axes are aligned, it is possible to prevent deviation of the ion optical axis due to attachment and detachment, compared to when the plurality of multipole electrodes are handled individually. The above-mentioned problems, configurations, and effects will be made clear by the description of the examples below.

[0009] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a mass spectrometer 1 according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed configuration of an analysis unit 200 according to an embodiment and its surroundings; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a cam mechanism 630 according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a holding member 620 according to an embodiment is raised; and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a holding member 620 according to an embodiment has moved along a traveling rail 610.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0011] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0012] When there are multiple components with the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. When there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0013] (Mass Spectrometer 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a mass spectrometer 1 according to this embodiment. The mass spectrometer 1 mainly comprises an ion source 100, an analysis section 200 that analyzes ions supplied from the ion source 100 by mass separation, and a detector 300 that detects the ions. In the mass spectrometer 1, a measurement sample S supplied by 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 section 200 operates in a vacuum atmosphere, ions 110 are introduced into a 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, and the interior of the vacuum chamber 250 is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

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

[0015] Ions 110 generated from the ion source 100 have various masses, but only target ions originating from the measurement sample are selectively passed through the multipole electrode 210. The second-stage multipole electrode 220 is disposed within the collision cell 240, into which a collision gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas, etc.) for dissociating the target ions is introduced. The multipole electrode 220 generates fragment ions by causing the target ions that have passed through the multipole electrode 210 to collide with the collision gas. The generated fragment ions enter the third-stage multipole electrode 230. The multipole electrode 230 selectively passes only the target fragment ions. The target fragment ions that have passed through the multipole electrode 230 are detected by the detector 300.

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

[0017] (Power Supply Configuration) With reference to FIG. 2 , the power supply configuration for supplying power to the loads within the vacuum chamber 250 will be described. A power supply 500 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 250, supplying power to the loads (multipole electrodes 210, 220, 230, etc.) within the vacuum chamber 250. A plurality of power receiving boards 520 that receive power from the power supply 500 are attached to a holding member 620 (described below). The power supplied from the power supply 500 is received by the plurality of power receiving boards 520 via a plurality of supply terminals 510. The supply terminals 510 are electrically connected to the power receiving boards 520 and supply the power supplied from the power supply 500 to the power receiving boards 520. The power receiving boards 520 supply power to each load (e.g., multipole electrodes 210, 220, 230) within the vacuum chamber 250.

[0018] (Moving Mechanism) Next, a moving mechanism for moving the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 will be described. The moving mechanism includes a holding member 620 that holds the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230. The holding member 620 may be formed from a single component, or may be an integrated structure formed by combining multiple components. This holding member 620 holds the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 so that the ion optical axes of the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 are aligned. The ion optical axis of the multipole 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. The ion optical axes of the multipole electrodes 220 and 230 are similar to those of the multipole electrode 210, and therefore will not be described here.

[0019] A running rail 610 is laid along the ion optical axis direction (X direction) inside the vacuum chamber 250. The holding member 620 moves along the running rail 610. By moving the holding member 620 along the running rail 610, the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 held by the holding member 620 can be moved from the inside to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250, or from the outside to the inside.

[0020] Furthermore, a plurality of cam mechanisms 630 are attached to the holding 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 cam mechanism 630 to an operating lever 650 operated by the user. The connecting member 640 rotates the cam mechanism 630 by rotation of the operating lever 650, thereby lifting the holding member 620. Furthermore, the connecting member 640 moves the holding member 620 and the cam mechanism 630 along the X direction by movement of the operating lever 650 in the X direction.

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

[0023] Furthermore, when the user operates the operating lever 650 to move along the X direction, the holding member 620 is pulled in the X direction (toward the ion source 100), and the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 mounted on the holding member 620 move in the X direction. In this way, the user slides the operating lever 650 to move the holding member 620 outside the vacuum chamber 250.

[0024] 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 from the supply terminal 510 attached to the vacuum chamber 250. The cam mechanism 630 has a rotating portion 631 that rotates the cam mechanism 630, a holding member attachment portion 632 attached to the holding member 620, and a connecting member attachment portion 633 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 portion 631. When the cam mechanism 630 rotates, the holding member 620 attached to the holding member attachment portion 632 rises in the Y direction.

[0025] 4 is a diagram showing 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 source 500 and the power receiving board 520 are electrically disconnected.

[0026] 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the holding member 620 of this embodiment moves along the traveling rail 610. In this embodiment, when the holding member 620 is raised, that is, when the power source 500 and the power receiving board 520 are electrically disconnected, and the operating lever 650 is pulled in the X direction, the holding member 620 moves in the X direction along the traveling rail 610. This makes it possible to move the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 mounted on the holding member 620 collectively to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250.

[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 the present embodiment, one holding member 620 holds the plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230. Therefore, by simply moving the holding member 620 to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250, the plurality of multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be easily and collectively maintained.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ion optical axes of the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 are held by one holding member 620 so as to coincide with each other, so that deviation of the ion optical axes due to attachment and detachment can be prevented compared to when multiple multipole electrodes are handled individually, resulting in improved ion transmittance.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing a movement mechanism including a traveling rail 610 and a holding member 620 that travels on the traveling rail 610, the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250. As a result, maintenance of the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be performed collectively outside the vacuum chamber 250.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple multipole electrodes 210, 220, and 230 can be moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber 250 while the electrical connection between the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 is cut off. Furthermore, 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 differentiating the direction of separation (Y direction) between the receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 from the direction of movement (X direction) of the holding member 620, the receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 can be laid out without being restricted by the direction of movement of the holding member 620.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 are separated from each other 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 (sliding operation) of the operating lever 650. That is, in this embodiment, both the power receiving board 520 and the supply terminal 510 can be separated from each other and the holding member 620 can be slid by simply operating the operating lever 650.

[0034] (Modifications) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0035] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Mass spectrometer 100... Ion source 200... Analysis section 210, 220, 230... Multipole electrodes 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... Travel rail 620... Holding member 630... Cam mechanism 631... Rotating section 632... Holding member mounting section 633... Connecting member mounting section 640... Connecting member 650... Operation lever

Claims

1. a plurality of multipole electrodes housed within a vacuum chamber; a holding member configured to hold the plurality of multipole electrodes so that the ion optical axes of the plurality of multipole electrodes are aligned and to be able to move the plurality of multipole electrodes out of the vacuum chamber; a power source provided outside the vacuum chamber; a power receiving substrate provided in the vacuum chamber; a supply terminal that electrically connects the power supply and the power receiving board; a separation mechanism that separates the power receiving board attached to the holding member side from the supply terminal attached to the vacuum chamber side; an operating lever attached to the holding member for operating the spacing mechanism, the holding member moves the plurality of multipole electrodes to the outside of the vacuum chamber while the power receiving substrate and the supply terminal are electrically disconnected; a separating direction in which the separating mechanism separates the power receiving substrate and the supply terminal and a moving direction in which the holding member is moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber are different from each other; The separation mechanism separates the power receiving board and the supply terminal when the user performs a first operation of the operation lever, and the holding member moves out of the vacuum chamber when the user performs a second operation of the operation lever. A mass spectrometer characterized by:

2. The holding member is configured to be movable from within the vacuum chamber toward an ion source that supplies ions, and then to the outside of the vacuum chamber.

2. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1.