Accelerated degradation testing device

Abstract

In this accelerated degradation testing device (100), each of a plurality of sealed containers (20) includes a sample storage unit (23) for storing a liquid sample (LS), and a water droplet storage unit (24) that is provided separately from the sample storage unit (23) and stores water droplets (W) generated in the sealed container (20).

Description

Accelerated Deterioration Testing Equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to an accelerated aging test device.

[0002] Conventionally, accelerated degradation test devices have been known that include a plurality of sealed containers that can accommodate samples to be subjected to accelerated degradation tests in a sealed state. Such an accelerated degradation test device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-30151.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-30151 describes a weathering tester (accelerated deterioration test device) that performs weathering tests using liquid contents contained in a container as a sample. In the weathering tester described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-30151, multiple containers containing liquid samples are placed in a test tank. The weathering tester described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-30151 is equipped with a humidity generator that generates a desired humidity level in the test tank.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-30151

[0005] However, in the weather resistance tester described in JP 2020-30151 A, although the humidity in the test tank can be adjusted by generating a desired humidity in the test tank using a humidity generator, the humidity in each sealed container cannot be adjusted individually. Therefore, the weather resistance tester described in JP 2020-30151 A has the problem that the humidity in each sealed container cannot be individually controlled.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide an accelerated deterioration test device that can individually control the humidity inside each sealed container.

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, an accelerated degradation test device is provided for an accelerated degradation test in which the degradation of a sample is accelerated by a plurality of degradation factors that degrade the sample being tested, the device comprising: a plurality of sealed containers capable of holding the sample being the subject of the accelerated degradation test in a sealed state; and a container holding section that holds the plurality of sealed containers, each of which includes a sample storage section for storing the sample, and a water droplet storage section that is provided separately from the sample storage section and stores water droplets that are generated within the sealed container.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, in the accelerated aging test device, as described above, each of the multiple sealed containers includes a sample reservoir for storing a sample and a water droplet reservoir provided separately from the sample reservoir for storing water droplets generated within the sealed container. By providing each of the multiple sealed containers with a water droplet reservoir, when the humidity within the sealed container increases, the water droplets generated within the sealed container can be stored in the water droplet reservoir. Furthermore, when the humidity within the sealed container decreases, the water droplets stored in the water droplet reservoir evaporate, thereby increasing the humidity within the sealed container. In other words, the water droplet reservoir provided in each of the multiple sealed containers allows the humidity within each sealed container to be individually adjusted. As a result, the humidity within each sealed container can be individually controlled.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an accelerated degradation test apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a door portion of a housing of the accelerated degradation test apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is open. Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view enlarging the periphery of a container holding portion of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XZ plane of a sealed container of the accelerated degradation test apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the YZ plane of a sealed container of the accelerated degradation test apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] The configuration of an accelerated degradation testing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] (Overall configuration of accelerated degradation test device) As shown in Figure 1, the accelerated degradation test device 100 is a device for performing an accelerated degradation test (accelerated degradation test) in which a liquid sample LS (see Figure 3) to be tested is accelerated (degraded) by a plurality of degradation factors that deteriorate the liquid sample LS. The plurality of degradation factors include temperature, humidity, ultraviolet light, etc. The accelerated degradation test device 100 is a relatively small device that can be installed in a laboratory. The liquid sample LS is an example of a "sample" in the claims.

[0013] The accelerated deterioration test device 100 includes a housing 10, a plurality of sealed containers 20, a container holding unit 30 that holds the plurality of sealed containers 20, an ultraviolet irradiation unit 40 that irradiates ultraviolet rays as one of the deterioration factors, a temperature adjustment unit 50 that adjusts temperature as one of the deterioration factors, and a control unit 60 that controls the ultraviolet irradiation unit 40, the temperature adjustment unit 50, etc.

[0014] In the following description, the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-rear direction of the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 are referred to as the Z direction, the X direction, and the Y direction, respectively. The upper and lower sides of the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 are referred to as the Z1 side and the Z2 side, respectively. The left and right sides of the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 are referred to as the X1 side and the X2 side. The front and rear sides of the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 are referred to as the Y1 side and the Y2 side, respectively.

[0015] The housing 10 includes a housing main body 11 and a door 12 attached to the Y1 side of the housing main body 11. A plurality of sealed containers 20, a container holder 30, an ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 40, a temperature adjustment unit 50, etc. are arranged inside the housing main body 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the door 12 is configured to be able to open and close toward the Y1 side relative to the housing main body 11. The container holder 30, the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 40, the temperature adjustment unit 50, etc. are configured to be able to move toward the Y1 side when the door 12 is open.

[0016] 3 and 4, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 has a cylindrical shape extending in the X direction. That is, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the horizontal direction. As shown in Fig. 4, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 is configured to be able to contain, in a sealed state, a liquid sample LS that is to be subjected to an accelerated degradation test.

[0017] The sealed container 20 includes a bottle-shaped container body 21 that contains the liquid sample LS and a lid 22 that seals the container body 21 while the liquid sample LS is contained therein. The container body 21 is formed, for example, from quartz glass or borosilicate glass. The container body 21 is, for example, a sampling container (vial) used for analysis by a gas chromatograph analyzer. That is, each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes an ultraviolet-transmitting portion 20a made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light. The lid 22 has a septum that seals the opening on the X2 side of the container body 21 to hermetically seal (tightly seal) the container body 21. The septum is formed, for example, from PTFE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene), rubber, silicone rubber, polyethylene, or the like. The detailed structure of the sealed container 20 will be described later.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3 , the container holder 30 holds multiple sealed containers 20 aligned in the Y direction. The container holder 30 includes a container holder 31 that removably holds the sealed containers 20. The container holder 31 is made of an elastically deformable member, such as a leaf spring. The container holder 30 includes a storage section 32 that stores multiple sealed containers 20 and a cover section 33 that covers the storage section 32 from the Z1 side. The storage section 32 includes a concave aluminum block 32a with an opening on the Z1 side to which the container holder 31 is attached, and a slit plate 32b disposed on the Z1 side of the aluminum block 32a. The slit plate 32b has slits 32c formed in positions corresponding to the multiple sealed containers 20 as viewed from the Z direction. Furthermore, the cover section 33 has a translucent quartz plate (quartz glass) 33a formed in a position corresponding to the slit plate 32b as viewed from the Z direction.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1 , the ultraviolet irradiation unit 40 is configured to irradiate ultraviolet light emitted from an ultraviolet light source 41 onto liquid samples LS (see FIG. 3 ) contained in a plurality of sealed containers 20 held in the container holding unit 30. Specifically, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 40 includes an ultraviolet light source 41 that generates ultraviolet light, a light guide 42 having an optical fiber and capable of guiding the ultraviolet light, a plurality of first lenses 43 arranged downstream of the light guide 42, and a plurality of second lenses 44 arranged downstream of the plurality of first lenses 43. The ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 41 is branched into multiple beams by the light guide 42, and each of the multiple branched ultraviolet beams is incident on each of the multiple second lenses 44 via each of the multiple first lenses 43. The ultraviolet light incident on each of the multiple second lenses 44 is irradiated onto the liquid samples LS contained in each of the multiple sealed containers 20.

[0020] 3, the plurality of first lenses 43 (see FIG. 1), the plurality of second lenses 44, the quartz plate (quartz glass) 33a of the container holder 30, and the slit plate 32b of the container holder 30 are arranged in this order from the Z1 side toward the Z2 side. This allows the sealed container 20 housed in the housing section 32 to be irradiated with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation section 40 from the Z1 side.

[0021] 1, the temperature adjustment unit 50 is disposed on the Z2 side of the container holding unit 30. The temperature adjustment unit 50 is configured to increase the temperature of the air surrounding the sealed container 20. The temperature adjustment unit 50 is, for example, a hot plate.

[0022] The control unit 60 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 60 performs control such as changing the intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 40 and adjusting the temperature of the air around the sealed container 20 by the temperature adjustment unit 50.

[0023] (Detailed configuration of the sealed container) As shown in Figure 4, each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes a sample storage section 23 for storing a liquid sample LS, a water droplet storage section 24 that is provided separately from the sample storage section 23 and stores water droplets W generated within the sealed container 20, and a humidity sensor 25 that is provided within the sealed container 20 and measures the humidity within the sealed container 20.

[0024] The water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed apart from the sample reservoir 23 within the sealed container 20. Specifically, the sample reservoir 23 is disposed at the center in the Z direction within the sealed container 20. Furthermore, the water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed at the lowest part within the sealed container 20, as will be described later.

[0025] The sample reservoir 23 is formed in a recessed shape having an opening 23a. Specifically, the sample reservoir 23 is formed in a dish shape. The dish-shaped sample reservoir 23 is placed on a mounting table 26 for mounting the sample reservoir 23. The sample reservoir 23 is made of an inert material such as stainless steel.

[0026] The water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the opposite side of the sample reservoir 23 from the opening 23a of the concave sample reservoir 23. Specifically, the opening 23a of the sample reservoir 23 is formed on the Z1 side (upper side) of the sample reservoir 23. The water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the Z2 side (lower side) of the sample reservoir 23 within the sealed container 20.

[0027] The water droplet storage section 24 is disposed at the lowest part inside the sealed container 20. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the water droplet storage section 24 is configured as an arc-shaped lower inner surface 20b of the cylindrical sealed container 20.

[0028] 4, the humidity sensor 25 is attached to the lid 22 so as to be able to measure the humidity inside the sealed container 20. A communication cable passes through a septum of the lid 22 to output the humidity measured by the humidity sensor 25 to the control unit 60 (see FIG. 1).

[0029] 5, the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 is configured as an arc-shaped portion 20c at the top of the cylindrical sealed container 20. The ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 40 (see FIG. 1) is configured to be irradiated onto the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a from the Z1 side (above).

[0030] 4 , each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 includes an evolved gas collection unit 27. The evolved gas collection unit 27 collects gas generated in the sealed container 20 due to deterioration of the liquid sample LS when an accelerated degradation test is being performed. The evolved gas collection unit 27 is attached to the lid 22. A pipe penetrates a septum of the lid 22 for sending the gas collected by the evolved gas collection unit 27 to an external analysis device. This allows the gas generated in each sealed container 20 due to deterioration of the liquid sample LS to be analyzed individually.

[0031] 4, the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 (see FIG. 1) is provided with heating units 70 that are arranged around the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 and that heat the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a. Specifically, the heating units 70 are arranged diagonally above one side and the other side of the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 when viewed from the X direction (the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sealed container 20 extends).

[0032] The accelerated degradation test device 100 (see FIG. 1) includes an imaging unit 80 that images the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a. The imaging units 80 are disposed diagonally above one and the other sides of the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 when viewed from the X direction (a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sealed container 20 extends). The imaging units 80 are also disposed on the Z1 side of the heating unit 70. The images captured by the imaging units 80 are output to the control unit 60 (see FIG. 1).

[0033] The control unit 60 (see FIG. 1 ) determines whether condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20 a based on the image captured by the imaging unit 80. If the control unit 60 determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20 a, the control unit 60 performs notification control to notify the user of condensation on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20 a. Examples of notification control include outputting a sound, displaying a message on a display unit (not shown), turning on or blinking a lamp, etc.

[0034] The image capturing section 80 captures an image of the liquid sample LS in addition to the ultraviolet light transmitting section 20a. The control section 60 then determines the state of the liquid sample LS (for example, the color of the liquid sample LS) based on the image captured by the image capturing section 80.

[0035] Each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes a gas inlet 28 that sends a gas for convection within the sealed container 20 into the sealed container 20. The gas inlet 28 is attached to the lid 22 so that the gas can be introduced into the sealed container 20. A pipe penetrates a septum of the lid 22 for sending the gas generated from the gas inlet 28 to the gas inlet 28. The gas for convection within the sealed container 20 is an inert gas (for example, Ar). The gas inlet 28 is an example of a "gas inlet for convection" and an example of a "gas inlet for humidity adjustment" in the claims.

[0036] The gas introduction unit 28 is configured to feed humidity-adjusted gas (gas for convection within the sealed container 20) into the sealed container 20. Specifically, the gas introduction unit 28 is configured to feed a gas containing water vapor in a substantially saturated state and a gas in a substantially dry state into the sealed container 20 at a mixing ratio that results in a predetermined humidity in each sealed container 20.

[0037] (Effects of the embodiment) In the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0038] In this embodiment, as described above, each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes a sample reservoir 23 for storing the liquid sample LS, and a water droplet reservoir 24 that is provided separately from the sample reservoir 23 and stores water droplets W generated in the sealed container 20. By providing the water droplet reservoir 24 in each of the multiple sealed containers 20, when the humidity in the sealed container 20 increases, the water droplets generated in the sealed container 20 can be stored in the water droplet reservoir 24, and when the humidity in the sealed container 20 decreases, the water droplets W stored in the water droplet reservoir 24 evaporate, thereby increasing the humidity in the sealed container 20. In other words, the water droplet reservoir 24 provided in each of the multiple sealed containers 20 allows the humidity in each sealed container 20 to be individually adjusted. As a result, the humidity in each sealed container 20 can be individually controlled.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the following additional effects can be obtained by the following configuration.

[0040] That is, in this embodiment, as described above, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 includes a humidity sensor 25 that is provided inside the sealed container 20 and measures the humidity inside the sealed container 20. This allows the humidity inside each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 to be measured individually by the humidity sensor 25 provided in each of the plurality of sealed containers 20. As a result, the humidity inside each of the sealed containers 20 can be more easily managed individually.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the water droplet storage section 24 is disposed at a distance from the sample storage section 23 within the sealed container 20. This makes it less likely that the water droplets W stored in the water droplet storage section 24 will come into contact with the liquid sample LS stored in the sample storage section 23, compared to when the water droplet storage section 24 is disposed so as to be in contact with the sample storage section 23 within the sealed container 20. This makes it possible to prevent the water droplets W stored in the water droplet storage section 24 from being mixed into the liquid sample LS stored in the sample storage section 23.

[0042] In this embodiment, as described above, the sample reservoir 23 is formed in a concave shape having the opening 23 a. The water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the opposite side of the sample reservoir 23 from the opening 23 a of the concave sample reservoir 23. This makes it easier to prevent the water droplets W stored in the sample reservoir 23 from being mixed into the liquid sample LS stored in the water droplet reservoir 24, compared to when the water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the opening 23 a side of the concave sample reservoir 23.

[0043] In this embodiment, as described above, the opening 23a of the sample reservoir 23 is formed on the upper side of the sample reservoir 23. The water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the lower side of the sample reservoir 23 within the sealed container 20. This makes it possible to easily realize a configuration in which the water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the opposite side of the sample reservoir 23 from the opening 23a of the concave sample reservoir 23.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the water droplet storage section 24 is disposed at the lowest part inside the sealed container 20. As a result, the water droplet storage section 24 is disposed at the farthest position on the opposite side of the opening 23a of the concave sample storage section 23 with respect to the sample storage section 23, and therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the water droplets W stored in the water droplet storage section 24 from being mixed into the liquid sample LS stored in the sample storage section 23.

[0045] In this embodiment, as described above, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending horizontally. The water droplet storage portion 24 is configured as the arc-shaped lower inner surface 20b of the cylindrical sealed container 20. As a result, the water droplet storage portion 24 configured as the arc-shaped lower inner surface 20b can easily store the water droplets W generated inside the sealed container 20 without providing a separate container for storing the water droplets W inside the sealed container 20.

[0046] In this embodiment, as described above, the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 includes an ultraviolet irradiation unit 40 that irradiates ultraviolet light, which is one of the degradation factors. Each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes an ultraviolet transmission unit 20a made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light. The accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 also includes a heating unit 70 that is disposed around the ultraviolet transmission unit 20a of each sealed container 20 and heats the ultraviolet transmission unit 20a. By heating the ultraviolet transmission unit 20a with the heating unit 70, the temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the ultraviolet transmission unit 20a can be reduced, thereby preventing condensation from forming on the inner surface of the ultraviolet transmission unit 20a. This prevents condensation from preventing ultraviolet light from passing through the ultraviolet transmission unit 20a, thereby preventing the liquid sample LS stored in the sample reservoir 23 from being properly irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0047] In this embodiment, as described above, each of the multiple sealed containers 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the horizontal direction. The ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of each sealed container 20 is configured as an arc-shaped portion 20c at the top of the cylindrical sealed container 20. The ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 40 is configured to irradiate the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a from above. The heating unit 70 is disposed diagonally above the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of each sealed container 20 when viewed from a horizontal direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the sealed container 20. This allows the heating unit 70 to be positioned relatively close to the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a and avoid the path of ultraviolet light irradiating the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a. In other words, the heating unit 70 can be disposed in a position where the ultraviolet light can be efficiently heated without being prevented from passing through the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a. As a result, it is possible to easily prevent condensation from preventing ultraviolet light from passing through the ultraviolet light transmitting section 20a, preventing the liquid sample LS stored in the sample storage section 23 from being properly irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the heating units 70 are disposed diagonally above one side and the other side of the ultraviolet transmitting unit 20a of the sealed container 20 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container 20 extends. This allows the entire ultraviolet transmitting unit 20a to be easily heated by both the heating unit 70 disposed diagonally above one side of the ultraviolet transmitting unit 20a of the sealed container 20 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container 20 extends and the heating unit 70 disposed diagonally above the other side of the ultraviolet transmitting unit 20a. As a result, it is possible to more easily prevent ultraviolet light from being prevented from passing through the ultraviolet transmitting unit 20a due to condensation, which would otherwise prevent ultraviolet light from being properly irradiated onto the liquid sample LS stored in the sample reservoir 23.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 includes the imaging unit 80 that images the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a, and the control unit 60 that determines whether condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a based on the image captured by the imaging unit 80. As a result, when condensation occurs on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a, the control unit 60 can recognize that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a. This allows the control unit 60 to easily take measures when condensation occurs on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a. In other words, it is possible to easily take measures to prevent condensation from preventing ultraviolet light from passing through the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a and preventing the liquid sample LS stored in the sample reservoir 23 from being properly irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, when the control unit 60 determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a, the control unit 60 performs notification control to notify the user of the condensation on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a. This notification control to notify the user of the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a allows the user of the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 to take appropriate measures to prevent the condensation from preventing ultraviolet rays from passing through the ultraviolet transmission portion 20 a and preventing the liquid sample LS stored in the sample reservoir 23 from being properly irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the image capturing unit 80 captures an image of the liquid sample LS in addition to the ultraviolet light transmitting unit 20a. The control unit 60 then determines the state of the liquid sample LS based on the image captured by the image capturing unit 80. This allows the control unit 60 to recognize the state of the liquid sample LS in addition to the occurrence of condensation on the ultraviolet light transmitting unit 20a.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes a gas inlet 28 that feeds a gas into the sealed container 20 to cause convection within the sealed container 20. This allows the gas fed into the sealed container 20 by the gas inlet 28 to convect within the sealed container 20, thereby suppressing the occurrence of a temperature difference within the sealed container 20. This prevents condensation from occurring on (the inner surface of) the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a due to an excessive temperature difference within the sealed container 20. As a result, compared to the case where the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a is only heated by the heating portion 70, it is possible to further suppress the occurrence of condensation on (the inner surface of) the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 includes a gas inlet 28 that feeds humidity-adjusted gas into the sealed container 20. This allows gas with a desired humidity to be fed into each of the plurality of sealed containers 20, making it possible to more easily adjust the humidity inside the sealed container 20 compared to when gas that has not been humidity-adjusted is fed into the sealed container 20.

[0054] In this embodiment, as described above, the gas introduction section 28 is configured to feed into the sealed containers 20 a gas containing water vapor in a substantially saturated state and a gas in a substantially dry state at a mixture ratio that results in a predetermined humidity in each of the sealed containers 20. This makes it possible to easily feed humidity-adjusted gas into the sealed containers 20.

[0055] [Modifications] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, and further includes all modifications (modifications) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, the gas inlet 28 is an example of a "convection gas inlet" and an example of a "humidity adjusting gas inlet" in the claims, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the convection gas inlet and the humidity adjusting gas inlet may be provided separately.

[0057] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the gas introduction section 28 (humidity adjusting gas introduction section) is configured to feed into the sealed containers 20 a gas containing water vapor in a substantially saturated state and a gas in a substantially dry state at a mixing ratio such that a predetermined humidity is achieved in each of the sealed containers 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the humidity adjusting gas introduction section may be configured to feed into the sealed container a gas containing water vapor generated by heating, or may be configured to dehumidify the gas containing water vapor using a cooling element so that it changes from a saturated state to a non-saturated state and then feed the gas into the sealed container.

[0058] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 includes a gas inlet 28 (humidity adjusting gas inlet) that sends humidity-adjusted gas into the sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, each of the plurality of sealed containers does not have to include a humidity adjusting gas inlet that sends humidity-adjusted gas into the sealed container.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the gas to be convected in the sealed container 20 is an inert gas, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the gas to be convected in the sealed container may be an active gas.

[0060] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 includes the gas inlet 28 (convection gas inlet) that feeds the gas for convection within the sealed container 20 into the sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, each of the plurality of sealed containers does not have to include a convection gas inlet that feeds the gas for convection within the sealed container into the sealed container.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the imaging unit 80 images the liquid sample LS in addition to the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a, and the control unit 60 determines the state of the liquid sample LS based on the image captured by the imaging unit 80, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the imaging unit does not have to image the liquid sample, and the control unit does not have to determine the state of the liquid sample based on the image captured by the imaging unit.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the control unit 60 performs notification control to notify the user of condensation on the ultraviolet transmitting portion 20 a when it determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmitting portion 20 a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the control unit does not need to perform notification control to notify the user of condensation on the ultraviolet transmitting portion when it determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmitting portion. In this case, for example, when the control unit determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet transmitting portion, it may increase the output of the heating unit so that the temperature of the ultraviolet transmitting portion increases.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 was provided with the imaging unit 80 that images the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20 a and the control unit 60 that determines whether condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20 a based on the image captured by the imaging unit 80, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the accelerated degradation test apparatus does not have to be provided with the imaging unit that images the ultraviolet light transmitting portion and the control unit that determines whether condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion based on the image captured by the imaging unit.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the heating unit 70 is disposed diagonally above one side and the other side of the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 when viewed from a horizontal direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the heating unit may be disposed diagonally above either one side or the other side of the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container when viewed from a horizontal direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the sealed container.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the heating unit 70 is disposed diagonally above the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container 20 extends, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the heating unit may be disposed at a position other than diagonally above the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container extends (for example, above or beside the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container).

[0066] In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 40 is irradiated onto the ultraviolet light transmitting unit 20a from above, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit may be irradiated onto the ultraviolet light transmitting unit from a direction other than above.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 is configured as the arc-shaped portion 20c at the top of the cylindrical sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container may be configured as a portion other than the arc-shaped portion at the top of the cylindrical sealed container.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 is disposed around the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a of the sealed container 20 and includes the heating unit 70 for heating the ultraviolet light transmitting portion 20a, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the accelerated degradation test apparatus does not have to be disposed around the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container and include a heating unit for heating the ultraviolet light transmitting portion.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 includes the ultraviolet irradiating unit 40 that irradiates ultraviolet light, which is one of the degradation factors, and each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes an ultraviolet light transmitting unit 20a made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the accelerated degradation test apparatus does not have to include an ultraviolet irradiating unit that irradiates ultraviolet light, which is one of the degradation factors, and each of the multiple sealed containers does not have to include an ultraviolet light transmitting unit made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which ultraviolet light, which is one of the deterioration factors, is irradiated onto the liquid sample LS contained in each of the multiple sealed containers 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, light in a wavelength range other than ultraviolet light, such as visible light or infrared light, may be irradiated onto the liquid sample contained in each of the multiple sealed containers as a deterioration factor, or a mixture of ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, etc. may be irradiated onto the liquid sample contained in each of the multiple sealed containers.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the water droplet storage portion 24 is configured as the arc-shaped lower inner surface 20b of the cylindrical sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the water droplet storage portion may be configured as a portion other than the arc-shaped lower inner surface of the cylindrical sealed container. In that case, for example, the water droplet storage portion may be disposed at the bottom of the cylindrical sealed container and formed in a recessed shape with an opening on the upper side.

[0072] In the above embodiment, each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the horizontal direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, each of the plurality of sealed containers may be formed in a cylindrical shape extending in a direction other than the horizontal direction.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the water droplet storage section 24 is disposed at the lowest part of the sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the water droplet storage section may be disposed at a position other than the lowest part of the sealed container.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed below the sample reservoir 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the water droplet reservoir may be disposed at a position within the sample reservoir other than below the sample reservoir (such as above or to the side of the sample reservoir).

[0075] In the above embodiment, the water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed on the opposite side of the opening 23a of the concave sample reservoir 23 with respect to the sample reservoir 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the water droplet reservoir may be disposed on the opening side of the concave sample reservoir with respect to the sample reservoir 23.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the sample reservoir 23 is formed in a recessed shape having the opening 23a, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the sample reservoir may be formed in a shape without an opening (a sealed shape).

[0077] In the above embodiment, the water droplet reservoir 24 is disposed apart from the sample reservoir 23 within the sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the water droplet reservoir may be disposed in contact with the sample reservoir within the sealed container.

[0078] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which each of the multiple sealed containers 20 includes a humidity sensor 25 that is provided inside the sealed container 20 and measures the humidity inside the sealed container 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, only some of the multiple sealed containers may include a humidity sensor that is provided inside the sealed container and measures the humidity inside the sealed container, or each of the multiple sealed containers may not include a humidity sensor that is provided inside the sealed container and measures the humidity inside the sealed container.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the accelerated degradation test apparatus 100 is an apparatus for performing an accelerated degradation test (accelerated degradation test) in which the degradation of the liquid sample LS to be tested is accelerated (accelerated) by a plurality of degradation factors that deteriorate the liquid sample LS to be tested, and each of the plurality of sealed containers 20 is configured to be able to contain, in a sealed state, the liquid sample LS to be tested in the accelerated degradation test, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the accelerated degradation test apparatus may be an apparatus for performing an accelerated degradation test (accelerated degradation test) in which the degradation of the solid sample to be tested is accelerated (accelerated) by a plurality of degradation factors that deteriorate the solid sample to be tested, and each of the plurality of sealed containers may be configured to be able to contain, in a sealed state, the solid sample to be tested in the accelerated degradation test.

[0080] Aspects It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0081] (Item 1) An accelerated degradation test device for performing an accelerated degradation test in which degradation of a test sample is accelerated by a plurality of degradation factors that degrade the test sample, the accelerated degradation test device comprising: a plurality of sealed containers capable of containing the test sample in a sealed state; and a container holder for holding the plurality of sealed containers, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers includes: a sample reservoir for storing the sample; and a water droplet reservoir provided separately from the sample reservoir for storing water droplets generated within the sealed container.

[0082] (Item 2) The accelerated aging test device according to item 1, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes a humidity sensor provided in the sealed container for measuring humidity inside the sealed container.

[0083] (Item 3) The accelerated degradation test device according to Item 1, wherein the water droplet reservoir is disposed in the sealed container at a distance from the sample reservoir.

[0084] (Item 4) The accelerated degradation test device according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the sample reservoir is formed in a concave shape having an opening, and the water droplet reservoir is disposed on the opposite side of the concave sample reservoir from the opening.

[0085] (Item 5) The accelerated degradation test device according to Item 4, wherein the opening of the sample reservoir is formed above the sample reservoir, and the water droplet reservoir is disposed below the sample reservoir within the sealed container.

[0086] (Item 6) The accelerated degradation test device according to Item 5, wherein the water droplet reservoir is disposed at the lowest part inside the sealed container.

[0087] (Item 7) The accelerated degradation test device according to Item 6, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in a horizontal direction, and the water droplet storage portion is configured as an arc-shaped lower inner surface of the cylindrical sealed container.

[0088] (Item 8) The accelerated deterioration test device according to any one of Items 1 to 7, further comprising an ultraviolet irradiating unit that irradiates ultraviolet light as one of the deterioration factors, each of the plurality of sealed containers further comprising an ultraviolet light transmitting unit made of a member that transmits the ultraviolet light, and a heating unit that is disposed around the ultraviolet light transmitting unit of the sealed container and heats the ultraviolet light transmitting unit.

[0089] (Item 9) The accelerated deterioration test device according to Item 8, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in a horizontal direction, the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container is configured as an arc-shaped portion at the top of the cylindrical sealed container, the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit is configured to be irradiated onto the ultraviolet light transmitting portion from above, and the heating unit is disposed diagonally above the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the sealed container when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the sealed container in the horizontal direction.

[0090] (Item 10) The accelerated degradation test device according to Item 9, wherein the heating units are disposed diagonally above one side and the other side of the ultraviolet light transmitting unit of the sealed container when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container extends.

[0091] (Item 11) The accelerated degradation test device according to any one of Items 8 to 10, further comprising: an imaging unit that images the ultraviolet light transmitting portion; and a control unit that determines whether condensation has occurred in the ultraviolet light transmitting portion based on the image captured by the imaging unit.

[0092] (Item 12) The accelerated degradation test device according to Item 11, wherein the control unit performs notification control to notify the user of condensation on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion when it determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet light transmitting portion.

[0093] (Item 13) The accelerated degradation test apparatus according to Item 11 or 12, wherein the imaging unit images the sample in addition to the ultraviolet light transmitting unit, and the control unit determines a state of the sample based on the image captured by the imaging unit.

[0094] (Item 14) The accelerated degradation test apparatus according to any one of Items 8 to 13, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes a convection gas inlet that feeds a gas for convection within the sealed container into the sealed container.

[0095] (Item 15) The accelerated degradation test apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 14, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes a humidity-adjusting gas inlet that feeds humidity-adjusted gas into the sealed container.

[0096] (Item 16) The accelerated degradation test apparatus according to Item 15, wherein the humidity adjusting gas introduction section is configured to feed a gas containing water vapor in a substantially saturated state and a gas in a substantially dry state into the sealed containers at a mixing ratio such that a predetermined humidity is achieved in each of the sealed containers.

[0097] 20 Sealed container 20a UV-transmitting portion 20b (arc-shaped lower inner surface of sealed container) 20c (arc-shaped upper portion of sealed container) 23 Sample storage portion 23a Opening portion (of sample storage portion) 24 Water droplet storage portion 25 Humidity sensor 28 Gas inlet portion (convection gas inlet portion, humidity adjustment gas inlet portion) 30 Container holding portion 40 UV irradiation portion 70 Heating portion 60 Control portion 80 Imaging portion 100 Accelerated degradation test device LS Liquid sample (sample) W Water droplet

Claims

1. An accelerated degradation test device for performing an accelerated degradation test in which degradation of a test sample is accelerated by a plurality of degradation factors that degrade the test sample, the device comprising: a plurality of sealed containers capable of containing the test sample in a sealed state; and a container holding section for holding the plurality of sealed containers, each of the plurality of sealed containers including: a sample storage section for storing the sample; and a water droplet storage section provided separately from the sample storage section for storing water droplets generated within the sealed container.

2. The accelerated aging test device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes a humidity sensor provided within the sealed container for measuring humidity within the sealed container.

3. The accelerated degradation test device according to claim 1, wherein the water droplet storage section is disposed apart from the sample storage section within the sealed container.

4. The accelerated degradation test device as described in claim 1, wherein the sample storage section is formed in a concave shape having an opening, and the water droplet storage section is positioned on the opposite side of the opening of the concave sample storage section with respect to the sample storage section.

5. The accelerated degradation test device according to claim 4, wherein the opening of the sample storage section is formed on the upper side of the sample storage section, and the water droplet storage section is disposed on the lower side of the sample storage section within the sealed container.

6. The accelerated degradation test device according to claim 5, wherein the water droplet storage section is disposed at the bottom of the sealed container.

7. The accelerated deterioration test device as described in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers is formed in a cylindrical shape extending horizontally, and the water droplet storage portion is configured as an arc-shaped lower inner surface of the cylindrical sealed container.

8. The accelerated deterioration test device according to claim 1, further comprising an ultraviolet irradiating section which irradiates ultraviolet light as one of the deterioration factors, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes an ultraviolet light transmitting section made of a material which transmits the ultraviolet light, and further comprising a heating section which is disposed around the ultraviolet light transmitting section of the sealed container and which heats the ultraviolet light transmitting section.

9. The accelerated deterioration test device described in claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in a horizontal direction, the ultraviolet ray-transmitting portion of the sealed container is configured as an arc-shaped portion at the upper part of the cylindrical sealed container, the ultraviolet ray from the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit is configured to be irradiated from above onto the ultraviolet ray-transmitting portion, and the heating unit is positioned diagonally above the ultraviolet ray-transmitting portion of the sealed container when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container extends.

10. The accelerated deterioration test device as described in claim 9, wherein the heating section is positioned diagonally above one and the other sides of the ultraviolet-transmitting section of the sealed container when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the sealed container extends.

11. The accelerated deterioration test device according to claim 8, further comprising: an imaging unit that images the ultraviolet ray transmitting portion; and a control unit that determines whether or not condensation has occurred in the ultraviolet ray transmitting portion based on the image captured by the imaging unit.

12. The accelerated deterioration test device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit performs notification control to notify of condensation on the ultraviolet ray transmitting portion when it determines that condensation has occurred on the ultraviolet ray transmitting portion.

13. The accelerated degradation test device according to claim 11, wherein the imaging section images the sample in addition to the ultraviolet light transmitting section, and the control section determines the state of the sample based on the image captured by the imaging section.

14. The accelerated degradation test apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes a convection gas inlet portion for feeding a gas for convection within the sealed container into the sealed container.

15. The accelerated degradation test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sealed containers further includes a humidity control gas inlet for feeding humidity-controlled gas into the sealed container.

16. The accelerated deterioration testing device according to claim 15, wherein the humidity adjustment gas inlet section is configured to feed into the sealed containers a mixture of a gas containing water vapor in a nearly saturated state and a gas in a nearly dry state in such a ratio that a predetermined humidity is achieved in each of the sealed containers.

Images