Technical Field
[0001]
The present invention relates to an analysis apparatus such as an
elemental analysis apparatus adapted to analyze elements such as carbon
(C) and sulfur (S) contained in a sample such as steel, nonferrous metal5 ,
or ceramic.
Background Art
[0002]
10 As this sort of elemental analysis apparatus, there is one adapted
to place in a heating furnace a crucible containing a sample, apply high
frequency AC voltage to a coil provided around the crucible to heat and
burn the sample in the crucible by high frequency induction heating, and
from gas produced thereby, analyze elements contained in the sample.
15 [0003]
As disclosed in Patent literature 1, the above-described elemental
analysis apparatus is configured to include a dust suction mechanism as
well as sucking dust through a through-hole formed on the side
circumferential surface of the heating furnace to discharge the dust
20 because dust such as soot is produced by burning the sample and when the
measurement gas is adsorbed by the dust, a measurement error occurs.
Citation List
Patent Literature
25 [0004]
[Patent Literature 1]
3
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A2000-266741
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
[00055 ]
However, in the above-described configuration, since the dust is
sucked through the through-hole formed on the side ci rcumferential
surface of the heating furnace, a difference in sucking force occurs
between the vicinity of the through hole and the side opposite to the
10 through hole, and as a result, there occurs a problem that, for example,
dust depositing on the side opposite to the through hole cannot be fully
sucked to allow part of the dust to remain, and when the gas is adsorbed
by the remaining dust, a measurement error occurs.
[0006]
15 Therefore, the present invention is made in order to solve the
above-described problem, and a main object thereof is to surely discharge
dust produced in a heating furnace to accurately perform analysis.
Solution to Problem
20 [0007]
That is, an analysis apparatus according to the present invention is
an analysis apparatus that heats a sample in a sample containing part and
analyzes gas produced thereby, and includes: a dust introduction part that
has a through-hole formed penetrating in a vertical direction and
25 introduces dust produced in the sample containing part into the
through-hole; a dust containing part that contains the dust discharged
4
through the through-hole; and a dust discharge path of which one end is
connected to the dust introduction part to communicatively connect to the
through-hole and the other end is connected to the dust containing part, in
which the dust discharge path is linearly formed along the vertical
direction from the one end to the other end5 .
[0008]
In such a configuration, since the through-hole is formed
penetrating in the vertical direction, the dust is d ischarged vertically
downward through the through-hole, and therefore as long as the
10 through-hole is formed in the central part of the sample containing part as
viewed from vertically above, the dust can be surely discharged.
Further, since the dust discharge path is linearly formed along the
vertical direction from the one end to the other end, the dust discharged
through the through-hole can be discharged without remaining in the dust
15 discharge path.
This makes it possible to surely discharge the dust p roduced in the
sample containing part to make a measurement error due to the attachment
of the gas to dust unlikely to occur, and thereby the analysis can be
accurately performed.
20 [0009]
Preferably, the analysis apparatus includes an up/down movement
mechanism adapted to integrally move up or down the dust introduction
part, the dust discharge path, and the dust containing part.
This makes it possible to move up or down the dust discharge path
25 without deforming the dust discharge path, and therefore the bending of
the dust discharge path can be prevented to make dust clogging and/or the
5
deterioration of the dust discharge path unlikely to occur.
[0010]
Preferably, the analysis apparatus includes: a supporting part that
supports the dust introduction part; and a driving part that has a shaft
member connected to the supporting part and moves up or down th5 e
supporting part, and the shaft member is arranged separately from the
dust introduction part in a horizontal direction by a predetermined
distance.
This makes it possible to provide the dust containing part below
10 the dust introduction part to make the whole of the apparatus compact.
In addition, by providing the dust containing part below the dust
introduction part, it becomes easy to linearly form the du st discharge path
along the vertical direction.
[0011]
15 Preferably, the through-hole is formed in a rotating body shape.
This makes dust unlikely to clog the through-hole, and therefore
the dust can be surely discharged to the dust discharge path through the
through-hole.
[0012]
20 Preferably, the analysis apparatus further includes an open/close
mechanism that is provided in the dust discharge path and switches an
open/close state of the dust discharge path.
In this configuration, since the open/clos e mechanism is provided in the
dust discharge path linearly formed along the vertical direction, when the
25 open/close mechanism switches the dust discharge path to the close state,
dust can be prevented from being sandwiched, and thereby the open/close
6
state of the dust discharge path can be surely switched.
[0013]
Consider here the case where the dust introduction part is attached
to the sample containing part.
In this case, a configuration adapted to move up th5 e
above-described supporting part using, for exampl e, a cylinder or the like,
and thereby bring the dust introduction part close to the sample
containing part for the attachment can be cited.
However, in this configuration, when the dust introduction part
10 comes close to the sample containing part, the cyl inder extends in its
axial direction, and when attempting to align the axes of the dust
introduction part and the sample containing part in this state, the cylinder
makes a swinging motion to make it difficult to accurately align the axes.
In addition, as described above, in the case where the cylinder is arranged
15 separately from the dust introduction part by the predetermined distance,
when aligning the axes, the cylinder makes a swinging motion at a
position eccentric to the dust introduction part and th e sample containing
part, further increasing difficulty.
[0014]
20 This causes a risk of attaching the dust introduction part to the
sample containing part in a state where the axes are not accurately aligned,
and if so, the airtightness between them cannot be ensured, causing
possible air leakage.
[0015]
25 As result, when the gas produced from the sample leaks, the
problem of reduced measurement accuracy occurs.
7
Also, when providing, for example, a leak check mechanism in order to
sense the gas leakage, the problem of increased size and cost of the whole
of the apparatus occurs.
[0016]
Further, as described above, if the cylinder makes a swing motio5 n
when aligning the axes of the dust introduction part and the sample
containing part, the swing propagates to, for example, an actuator and the
like constituting the cylinder to place a load on the actuator and the like,
thus reducing the life of the apparatus.
10 [0017]
Therefore, in order to attach the dust introduction part to the
sample containing part in an airt ight manner, preferably, the driving part
further has a driving part main body into or out of which the shaft
member moves; the shaft member moves into the driving part main body,
15 and thereby the dust introduction part moves in a direction to block a
downward opening formed in the sample containing part; and the shaft
member moves out of the driving part main body, and thereby the dust
introduction part moves in a direction to open the opening.
In this configuration, since the shaft member moves into the
20 driving part main body, and thereby the dust introduction part moves in
the direction to block the downward opening formed in the sample
containing part to bring the dust introduction part and the sample
containing part close to each other, when aligning th e axes of them, the
shaft member is stable with little swinging motion, and thereby the axes
25 can be accurately aligned. This makes it possible to attach the dust
introduction part to the sample containing part in an airtight manner, and
8
therefore the gas leakage from between the dust introduction part and the
sample containing part can be surely prevented from occurring.
In addition, as described above, since when aligning the axes of
the dust introduction part and the sample containing part, the shaft
member is stable with little swing motion, a load placed on the drivin5 g
part main body when aligning the axes can be made as small as possible,
and thereby a reduction in the life of the apparatus can be prevented.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
10 [0018]
According to the present invention configured as described, the
dust produced in the sample containing part can be surely discharged , and
thereby a measurement error due to the attachment of the gas to dust can
be made unlikely to occur, thus making it possible to accurately perform
15 the analysis.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0019]
[Fig. 1]
20 Fig. 1 is an overall view schematically illustrating the
configuration of an analysis apparatus according to the present
embodiment.
[Fig. 2]
Fig. 2 is an overall view schematically illustrating the
25 configuration of the analysis apparatus according to the same
embodiment.
9
[Fig. 3]
Fig. 3 is an overall view schematically illustrating the
configuration of an analysis apparatus according to another embodiment.
[Fig. 4]
Fig. 4 is an overall view schematically illustrating th5 e
configuration of an analysis apparatus according to still another
embodiment.
[Fig. 5]
Fig. 5 is an overall view schematically illustrating the
10 configuration of an analysis apparatus according to yet another
embodiment.
Reference Signs List
[0020]
15 100 Elemental analysis apparatus
X Sample
10 Heating furnace
30 Dust introduction part
31 Introduction surface
20 3a Through-hole
40 Dust discharge mechanism
41a Dust discharge path
41 Dust discharge path forming member
42 Open/close mechanism
25 43 Dust containing part
50 Up/down movement mechanism
10
Description of Embodiments
[0021]
In the following, one embodiment of an elemental analysis
apparatus 100 as an example of an analysis apparatus according to th5 e
present invention will be described with reference to drawings.
[0022]
An elemental analysis apparatus 100 according to the present
embodiment is one that for example, heats and burns a sample X such as
10 metal, and from gas produced thereby, analyzes elements such as carbon
(C) and sulfur (S) contained in the sample X.
[0023]
Specifically, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the elemental analysis
apparatus 100 is one including: a heating furnace 10 as a sample
15 containing part in which a crucible R containing the sample X is placed; a
heating mechanism 20 adapted to heat the sample X; an unillustrated gas
analyzer adapted to analyze the gas produced by heating and burning the
sample X; a dust introduction part30 into which dust produced by burning
the sample X is introduced; and a dust discharge mechanism 40 adapted to
20 discharge the dust from inside the heating furnace 10.
[0024]
In the following, the respective parts will be described.
[0025]
The heating furnace 10 is configured to burn the sample X inside,
25 and lead the gas produced thereby to the unillustrated gas analyzer, and as
illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed in a substantially tubular shape as
11
well as having an opening 11 formed vertically downward.
Specifically, the heating furnace 10 includes : a furnace main body
12 formed in a substantially circular tube shape; and a block body 13 that
is provided below the furnace main body 12 and has a communicative
connection hole 13a communicatively connected to the inside of th5 e
furnace main body 12 and formed penetrating in the vertical direction.
[0026]
More specifically, in the present embodiment, the opening 11 of
the heating furnace 10 is one that is formed as a downward opening of the
10 communicative connection hole 13a in a circular shape, and forme d such
that the central axis of the opening 11 and the tube axis of the furnace
main body 12 coincide with each other.
[0027]
Inside the above-described heating furnace 10, the crucible R is
15 contained on a placement table 14.
[0028]
The placement table 14 is provided vertically movable along the
tube axial direction of the furnace main body 12 inside the furnace main
body 12, and in the present embodiment, configured to be moved up or
20 down by the below-described up/down movement mechanism 50 between
a heating position where the sample X in the crucible R is heated inside
the heating furnace 10 and an attachment/detachment position where the
crucible R is positioned outside the heating furnace 10 and attached on or
detached from the placement table 14.
25 [0029]
The crucible R is one that contains the sample X inside and is
12
attached on the placement table 14, and in the present embodiment, made
of a magnetic material such as ceramic having an electrically conductive
heating element.
[0030]
The heating mechanism 20 is an induction current generatin5 g
mechanism adapted to generate induction current in the sample X
contained in the crucible R by high frequency induction heating, and
specifically one including a coil 21 and an unillustrated power supply
adapted to apply high frequency AC voltage to the coil 21. In the
10 present embodiment, the coil 21 is provided along the outer
circumference of the furnace main body 12, and the height of the
placement table 14 is set such that when the high frequency AC voltage is
applied to the coil 21, the crucible R is positioned inside the coil 21.
When the high frequency AC voltage is applied to the coi l 21, the
15 electrically conductive heating element included in the crucible R
generates heat by the high frequency induction heating to heat the sample
X in the crucible R.
[0031]
The unillustrated gas analyzer is one that analyzes the gas led to
20 the gas analyzer and obtains the contents of respective components
contained in the sample X, and in the present embodiment, one that
performs the analysis using, for example, a non-dispersive infrared
absorption method (NDIR method) . Specifically, the gas analyzer has an
unillustrated non-dispersive infrared detector, and is one that detects CO2,
25 CO, SO2, and the like contained in the ga s to thereby obtain the contents
of carbon (C), sulfur (S), and the like contained in the sample X.
13
[0032]
The dust introduction part 30 is one that has a through-hole 3a
formed penetrating in the vertical direction, and is also one that is
provided so as to close the vertically downward opening 11 formed in the
heating furnace 10 in a state where the placement table 14 is in th5 e
heating position, and introduces the dust produced by burning the sample
X into the through-hole 3a. More specifically, the dust introduction part
30 in the present embodiment is arranged with the upper part of the dust
introduction part 30 being fitted into the communicative connection hole
10 13a formed in the block body 13 via, for example, a sea l member.
[0033]
Specifically, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the dust introduction
part 30 is formed in a block body shape, and in the center thereof, the
through-hole 3a that penetrates through the dust introduction part 30 in
15 the vertical direction and communicatively connect s to the inside of the
heating furnace 10 is formed, and also an introduction surface 31 adapted
to introduce the dust into the through-hole 3a to discharge it is formed.
[0034]
The through-hole 3a is formed in a rotating body shape, and also
20 formed such that the rotational axis thereof coincide with the tube axis of
the heating furnace 10, i.e., with the central axis of the opening 11.
More specifically, the through-hole 3a is a space surrounded by the inner
circumferential surface of the dust introduction part 3 0, and in the present
embodiment, formed as a space surrounded by: a first inner
25 circumferential surface 311, which is formed in an inverted truncated
conical shape of which the diameter decreases vertically downward ; and a
14
second inner circumferential sur face 312, which is formed continuously
with the first inner circumferential surface 311, linearly extends
vertically downward, and has a uniform circular -shaped cross section.
[0035]
The introduction surface 31 is symmetrically formed with th5 e
through-hole 3a as the center, and in the present embodiment, a tilted
surface formed in a rotating body shape with the tube axis of the heating
furnace 10 as the central axis, of which at least part is formed of the first
inner circumferential surface 311. Specific ally, the introduction surface
10 31 is formed in an annular shape as viewed from vertically above.
The above-described configuration and activation of the
below-described dust discharge mechanism 40 make it possible to create a
substantially uniform flow from the heating furnace 10 toward the
through-hole 3a, and discharge the dust through the through-hole 3a.
15 That is, the dust flow toward the through-hole 3a from a dust production
part (crucible R and the like) where the dust is produced is rotationally
symmetric on a cross section along the vertical direction.
[0036]
The dust introduction part 30 is fixed with the above-described
20 placement table 14, and the present embodiment is configured such that
the dust introduction part 30 and the placement table 14 are connected to
each other via a connecting member 60 provided on the inner
circumferential surface of the dust introduction part 30 and make the
up/down movement integrally.
25 [0037]
The connecting member 60 is one that is formed in a flat plate
15
shape, and formed with multiple holes 61 penetrating in the thickness
direction. The multiple holes 61 are symmetrically positioned with
reference to the center of the connecting member 60 as well as being
formed along the circumferential direction so as to make the distance
between any adjacent two of the holes 61 constant, and it is configure5 d
that the dust produced in the heating furnace 10 passes through the holes
61 and are introduced into the through-hole 3a.
[0038]
The dust introduction part 30 configured as described above is
10 provided with the up/down movement mechanism 50 adapted to move up
or down the dust introduction part 30 along the vertical direction.
[0039]
The up/down movement mechanism 50 is one including: a
supporting part 51 that supports the dust introduction part 30; and a
15 driving part 52 that has a shaft member 521 connected to the supporting
part 51 and moves up or down the supporting part 51 along the vertical
direction.
[0040]
The supporting part 51 is one configured to be able to arrang e the
20 shaft member 521 separately from the dust introduction part 30 in the
horizontal direction, and has: a first plate member 511 that extends in the
horizontal direction and is formed in a flat plate shape; a connecting plate
513 that is connected to the first plate member 511 at the lower end
thereof and upright from the first plate member 511; and a second plate
25 member 512 that extends from the upper end of the connecting plate 513
in the horizontal direction toward the side opposite to the first plate
16
member 511. Note that in the present embodiment, the first plate
member 511, the second plate member 512, and the connecting member
513 are integrally formed.
[0041]
The first plate member 511 is one adapted to support the dus5 t
introduction part 30 and fixed with the dust introduction part 30 by, for
example, unillustrated screws or the like.
[0042]
The second plate member 512 is positioned on the vertically upper
10 side separately from the first plate member 511 by a predetermined
distance, and supported by the shaft member 521.
[0043]
The driving part 52 is one that moves up or down the supporting
part 51 along the vertical direction at a position offset from the dust
15 introduction part 30 in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the driving
part 52 is configured to move up or down the shaft member 521
supporting the second plate member 512, and in the present embodiment,
uses a cylinder.
[0044]
20 The shaft member 521 is arranged separately from the dust
introduction part 30 in the horizontal direction keeping a distance
preventing overlap with at least dust introduction part 30 as viewed from
vertically below. In the present embodiment, the central axis of the
shaft member 521 is arranged separately in the horizontal direction from
25 each of the central axis of the dust introduction part 30, the rotational
axis of the through-hole 3a, and the tube axis of the heating furnace 10.
17
That is, the shaft member 521 is arranged at a position preventing overlap
with the opening 11 of the heating furnace 10, the dust introduction part
30, and the below-described dust discharge path 41a as viewed from
vertically below, and this makes it possible to arrange the
below-described dust containing part 43 vertically below the opening 15 1
and the dust introduction part 30.
[0045]
The shaft member 521 of the driving part 52 moves up or down the
supporting part 51 along the vertical direction, and thereby t he up/down
10 mechanism 50 configured as described can move up or down the dust
introduction part 30 supported by the suppor ting part 51 along the vertical
direction.
[0046]
Note that as described above, the dust introduction part 30 is
15 connected to the placement table 14 via the connecting member 60, and
therefore the placement table 14 moves up or down together with the dust
introduction part 30.
[0047]
That is, the up/down movement mechanism 50 is configured to
20 move up or down the dust introduction part 30 as the shaft member 521
moves up or down, and also move up or down the crucible R placed on the
placement table 14 between the heating position and the
attachment/detachment position.
[0048]
25 Subsequently, the dust discharge mechanism 40 will be described.
[0049]
18
The dust discharge mechanism 40 is one that discharges the dust
produced in the heating furnace 10 from the he ating furnace 10, and
includes: a dust discharge path forming member 41 that forms the dust
discharge path 41a communicatively connect ing to the through-hole 3a;
an open/clos mechanism 42 that is provided in the dust discharge pat5 h
forming member 41 to swi tch an open/close state of the dust discharge
path 41a; the dust containing part 43 that is provided on the downstream
side of the dust discharge path 41a to contain the dust discharged through
the dust discharge path 41a; and a suction mechanism 44 that i s connected
10 to the dust containing part 43 to suck air inside the dust containing part
43.
[0050]
The dust discharge path forming member 41 is one adapted to
discharge the dust vertically downward, and as illustrated in Fig. 1, also
15 one that forms the dust discharge path 41a inside which the dust flows and
is formed in a straight tube shape. More specifically, the dust discharge
path forming member 41 is one that is formed of resin or the like and has
elasticity, and in the present embodiment, a silicon t ube such as a Fluran
tube.
20 [0051]
The dust discharge path forming member 41 is configured such
that the outside diameter thereof is equal to the opening size of the second
inner circumferential surface 312 of the dust introduction part 30, and one
end part 411 of the dust discharge forming member 41 is fitted to the
25 second inner circumferential surface 312 without backlash to
communicatively connect the dust discharge path 41a and the
19
through-hole 3a to each other. Also, the other end part 412 of the dust
discharge path forming member 41 is connected to the below-described
dust containing part 43.
Note that the dust discharge forming member 41 in the present
embodiment is configured to move up or down integrally with the dus5 t
introduction part 30 along with the up/down movement of the dust
introduction part 30 in a state where the one end part 411 is fitted to the
second inner circumferential surface 312.
[0052]
10 The dust discharge path 41a is one of which one end is connected
to the dust introduction part 30 to communicatively connect to the
through-hole 3a and also the other end is connected to the dust containing
part 43 to lead the dust to the dust containing part 43 through the
through-hole 3a, and in the present embodiment, linearly formed along
15 the vertical direction from the one end to the other end.
[0053]
The above-described dust discharge path forming member 41 is
provided with the open/close mechanism 42 adapted to switch the dust
discharge path 41a to the open state or the close state.
20 Note that the open/close mechanism 42 in the present embodiment is one
that is controlled by an unillustrated control part so as to, when
performing the analysis, switch the dust discharge path 41a to the close
state, and when discharging the dust, switch the dust discharge path 41a
to the open state.
25 [0054]
In the present embodiment, the open/close mechanism 42 uses a
20
pinch valve, and is configured to switch the dust discharge path 41a from
the open state to the close state by crushing the silicon tube as the d ust
discharge path forming member 41. In addition, while the open/close
mechanism 42 switches the dust discharge path 41a to the close state, dust
deposits at a position where the dust discharge path 41a is crushed5 .
[0055]
The dust containing part 43 is provided on the downstream side of
the dust discharge path 41a, and in the present embodiment, for example,
a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shaped dust box arranged
10 vertically below the through-hole 3a of the dust introduction part 30.
More specifically, the dust containing part 43 is configured to be
attachable to or detachable from the other end part 412 of the dust
discharge path forming member 41, and in a state of being attached to the
other end part 412 of the dust discharge path forming memb er 41, move
15 up or down integrally with the dust discharge path forming member 41
and the dust introduction part 30.
Note that in the present embodiment, an unillustrated supporting
mechanism adapted to support the dust containing part 43 as well as
integrally moving up or down the dust containing part 43 and the dust
20 introduction part 40 is connected to the supporting part 51. This
configuration allows the dust containing part 43 connecting with the dust
introduction part 30 and the dust discharge path forming member 41 to
integrally move up or down as well.
That is, the present embodiment is configured such that the dust
25 introduction part 30, dust discharge path forming member 41, open/close
mechanism 42, and dust containing part 43 move up or down while
21
keeping the relative positional relationship among them.
[0056]
The above-described dust containing part 43 is provided with the
suction mechanism 44 adapted to suck air inside the dust containing part
43, and the suction mechanism 44 is configured to, when discharging th5 e
dust, after the open/close mechanism 42 switches the dust discharge path
41a to the open state, suck air from inside the dust containing part 43 to
decrease the inner pressure of the heating furnace 10. In addition, by
activating the suction mechanism 44, the dust produced in the heating
10 furnace 10 is discharged vertically downward through the through -hole 3a,
passes through the dust discharge path 41a vertically downward, and is
led to the dust containing part 43.
Note that the suction mechanism 44 may be one that moves up or
down integrally with the dust containing part 43, or one that is placed at a
15 fixed position without moving up or down integrally with the dust
containing part 43.
[0057]
The elemental analysis apparatus 100 according to the present
embodiment configured as described can surely discharge the dust
20 produced in the heating furnace 10 because the dust introduction part 30
is formed in the rotating body shape with the tube axis of the heating
furnace 10 as the rotational axis, and the dust is discharged vertically
downward through the through-hole 3a formed in the central part of the
dust introduction part 30. This makes it possible to make a measurement
25 error due to the attachment of the gas to dust unlikely to occur, and
thereby the analysis can be accurately performed.
22
[0058]
Also, since the introduction surface 31 is formed in an annular
shape as viewed from vertically above, and a tilted surface formed in a
rotating body shape with the tube axis of the heating furn ace 10 as the
central axis, the dust can be surely discharge without remaining on th5 e
introduction surface 31.
[0059]
Further, since the second inner circumferential surface 312 and
the dust discharge path 41a are linearly formed along the vertical
10 direct ion, clogging with dust due to the bend or the like of the
through-hole 3a or the dust discharge path 41a can be prevented at the
time of discharging the dust, and therefore the dust can be more surely
discharged. This makes it possible to prevent dust fr om being
sandwiched when the open/close mechanism 42 crushes the dust discharge
15 forming member 41 to switch it to the close state.
[0060]
In addition, since the dust introduction part 30, dust discharge
path forming member 41, and dust containing part 43 are configured to
integrally move up or down, each of the members does not expand or
20 contract along with the up/down movement, and therefore each of the
members can be prevented from being deteriorated due to the up/down
movement. Further, clogging with dust due to the bend of the dust
discharge path 41a can also be prevented.
[0061]
25 Also, since the central axis of the shaft member 521 is arranged
offset in the horizontal direction from the central axis of the dust
23
introduction part 30, the rotational axi s of the through-hole 3a, and the
tube axis of the heat ing furnace 10, the dust containing part 43 can be
provided below the dust introduction part 30, making it easier to linearly
form the dust discharge path 41a along the vertical direction, and in
addit ion, the element analysis apparatus 100 can be made compact5 .
[0062]
Further, since the supporting part 51 has the first plate member
511 and the second plate member 512 arranged offset from the first plate
member 511, the distance the shaft member 521 of the driving part 52
10 moves up or down can be set to be long without increasing the height
dimension of the entire apparatus.
[0063]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the
above-described embodiment.
15 [0064]
For example, the above-described embodiment is configured to
discharge the dust using the suction mechanism, but may be configured to
transfer the dust under pressure vertically downward to discharge it by
pressurizing the inside of the heating furnace.
20 [0065]
Also, in the above-described embodiment, the dust introduction
part has the one through-hole, but may be configured to have multiple
through-holes. In this case, preferably, the multiple through -holes are
arranged symmetrically with respect to the tube axis of the heating
25 furnace.
[0066]
24
Further, it may be configured to form an air circulation path in the
block body, and sent air into the communicative connection hole of the
block body through the air circulation path. By configuring as described
above, air can be blown to dust depositing on the connecting member to
drop it through the holes formed in the connecting member. This make5 s
it possible to more surely introduce the dust produced in the heating
furnace into the dust introduction part.
Further, it may be adapted to directly suck and discharge the dust
depositing on the connecting member through the air circulation path.
10 [0067]
Still further, in the above-described embodiment, the dust
discharge path forming member is formed in a straight tube shape, but
may be formed in a bellows shape.
[0068]
15 In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the pinch valve is
used for the open/close mechanism, but it may be configured to use an
on/off valve, solenoid valve, or the like to switch the dust discharge path
between the open state and the close state.
[0069]
20 Also, the above-described embodiment is adapted such that when
discharging the dust, the open/close mechanism switches the dust
discharge path to the open state, and then the suction mechanism is
activated to discharge the dust, but may be adapted such that in a state
where the suction mechanism is activated, the open/close mechanism
25 switches the dust discharge path from the close state to the open state to
discharge the dust.
25
[0070]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the coil is provided
along the outer circumference of the furnace main body, but may be
provided, for example, at the bottom part of the crucible, or on the upper
surface of the placement table5 .
[0071]
Still further, the above-described embodiment is configured such
that the shaft member is extended, and thereby the dust introduction part
is brought close to and attached to the heating furnace, but may be
10 configured such that, for example, as illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, the
driving part 52 further has a driving part main body 522 into or out of
which the shaft member 521 moves, and the shaft member 521 moves into
the driving part main body 522, by which the dust introduction part 30 is
brought close to and attached to the heating furnace 10, whereas the shaft
15 member 521 moves out of the driving part main body 522, by which the
dust introduction part 30 is separated from the heating furnace 10.
[0072]
Specifically, the driving part is, for example, an air cylinder, and
configured such that the length of a part of the shaft member 521
20 protruding from the driving part main body 522 increases or decreases
along the axial direction.
[0073]
More detailed configurations will be exemplified in Figs. 3 to 5.
[0074]
25 In the analysis apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 3, the shaft
member 521 is fixed to the heating furnace 10, and also the driving part
26
main body 522 is fixed with the supporting part 51 supporting the dust
introduction part 30. In this analysis apparatus 100, the shaft member
521 is fixed to the block body 13 constituting the heating furnace 10 via
an intermediate member 70 intervening between the heating furnace 10
and the shaft member 521, and the driving part main body 522 is directl5 y
fixed to the supporting part 51 in a position offset in the hor izontal
direction from the dust introduction part 30. Note that the shaft member
521 may be directly fixed to the block body 13, and the driving part main
body 522 may be indirectly fixed to the supporting part 51.
10 In this configuration, when the shaft member 521 moves into the
driving part main body 522, the dust introduction part 30 moves up to
come close to the heating furnace 10 together with the driving part main
body 522, and therefore when aligning the axes of the dust introduction
part 30 and the heating furnace 10, the shaft member 521 is stable with
15 little swinging motion, making it possible to accurately align the axes.
Also, around the heating furnace 10, for example, various
components constituting the analysis apparatus 100 are arranged; however,
the above-described configuration makes it possible to provide the
driving part main body 522 below the heating furnace 10, and thereby a
20 dead space below the heating furnace 10 can be effectively utilized.
Further, by providing the driving part main body 522 below the
heating furnace 10, the driving part main body 522 and the shaft member
521 can be kept away from the coil 21 applied with the high frequency AC
voltage, and therefore the heat effect and/or the like from the coil 21 on
25 the driving par t main body 522 and the shaft member 521 can be reduced.
In addition, the analysis apparatus 100 according to the
27
above-described embodiment is configured such that the up/down
movement mechanism 50 moves up or down the dust introduction part 30
in a state where the block body 13 and the driving part 52 are fixed to, for
example, a shared frame body; however, the above -described analysis
apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 3 does not require fixing the driving par5 t
52 to a frame body adapted to fix the block body 13. This makes it
possible to reduce the size of the frame body and also, for example, when
aligning the axes of the dust introduction part 30 and the heating furnace
10, makes it easier to adjust the position of the driving part 52 .
10 [0075]
Also, the analysis apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 4 is configured
such that the shaft member 521 is fixed with the supporting part 51
supporting the dust introduction part 30, and the shaft member 521
contracts toward the driving part main body 522 provided ab ove the
15 supporting part 51. In this analysis apparatus 100, the shaft member 521
is directly fixed to the supporting part 51, and the driving part main body
522 is indirectly fixed to the block body 13 constituting the heating
furnace 10 via an unillustrated intermediate member intervening between
the heating furnace 10 and the driving part main body 522. Note that the
20 shaft member 521 may be indirectly fixed to the supporting part 51, and
the driving part main body 522 may be directly fixed to the block body
13.
In this configuration, when the shaft member 521 moves into the
driving part main body 522, the dust introduction part 30 moves up to
25 come close to the heating furnace 10, and therefore when aligning the
axes of the dust introduction part 30 and the heating furnace 10, the shaft
28
member 521 is stable with little swinging motion, making it possible to
accurately align the axes.
[0076]
Further, in the analysis apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 5, the
supporting part 51 is formed in a shape bending downward, and has th5 e
first plate member 511 adapted to support the dust containing part and a
second plate member 512 positioned below the first plate member 511,
and the second plate member 512 is fixed with the shaft member 521. In
this analysis apparatus 100, the shaft member 521 is directly fixed to the
10 second plate member 512, and the driving part main body 522 is
indirectly fixed to the block body 13 constituting the heating furnace 10
via an unillustrated intermediate member intervening between the heating
furnace 10 and the driving part main body 522. Note that the shaft
member 521 may be indirectly fixed to the second plate member 512, and
15 the driving part main body 522 may be directly fixed to the block body
13.
In this configuration, when the shaft member 521 moves into the
driving part main body 522, the dust introduction part 30 moves up to
come close to the heating furnace 10, and therefore when aligning the
20 axes of the dust introduction part 30 and the heating furnace 10, the shaft
member 521 is stable with little swinging motion, making it possible to
accurately align the axes.
Also, since the shaft member 521 is fixed to the second plate
member 512 positioned below the first plate member 511, as compared
25 with the analysis apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 4, the whole of the
apparatus can be downsized in the height direction.
29
Further, the driving part main body 522 and the shaft member 521 can be
kept away from the coil 21 applied with the high frequency AC voltage,
and therefore the heat effect and/or the like from the coil 21 on the
driving part main body 522 and the shaft member 521 can be reduced.
[0075 7]
In addition, in the analysis apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 5, the
second plate member 512 is fixed with the shaft member 521; howe ver,
the second plate member 512 may be fixed with the driving part main
body 522, and the shaft member 521 may be fixed to the block body 13
10 constituting the heating furnace 10 via an intermediate member
intervening between the heating furnace 10 and the shaft member 521.
This makes it possible to obtain the same working effect as that of
the analysis apparatus 100 illustrated in Fig. 5, and in addition, the
driving part 52 is not required to be fixed to a frame body adapted to fix
15 the block body 13, thus making it possible to reduce the size of the frame
body, as well as for example, when al igning the axes of the dust
introduction part 30 and the heating furnace 10, making it easier to adjust
the position of the driving part 52.
[0078]
20 Note that the present invention may be an analysis apparatus that
heats a sample in a sample containing part and analyze gas produced
thereby, and includes: a dust introduction part that has a through hole
formed penetrating in a vertical direction, and introduces dust produced
in the sample containing part into the through-hole; a supporting part
25 adapted to support the dust introduction part; and a driving part adapted
to move up or down the supporting part, in which the driving part is
30
connected to the supporting part, and has a shaft member arranged
separately from the dust introduction part in a horizontal direction by a
predetermined distance, and a driving part main body into or out of which
the shaft member moves, and the shaft member moves into the driving
part main body, by which the dust introduction part moves in a directio5 n
to block a downward opening formed in the sample containing part,
whereas the shaft member moves out of the driving part main body, by
which the dust introduction part moves in a direction to op en the opening.
[0079]
10 Besides, it goes without saying that the present invention is not
limited to any of the above-described embodiments, but can be variously
modified without departing from the scope thereof.
[Industrial Applicability]
15 [0080]
According to the present invention, the dust produced in the
sample containing par t can be surely discharged, and thereby a
measurement error due to the attachment of the gas to dust can be made
unlikely to occur, thus making it possible to accurately perform the
20 analysis.
31

We Claim:
1. An analysis apparatus that heats a sample in a sample
containing part and analyzes gas produced thereby, the analysis apparatu5 s
comprising:
a dust introduction part that has a through-hole formed
penetrating in a vertical direction and introduces dust produced in the
sample containing part into the through-hole;
10 a dust containing part that contains the dust discharged through
the through-hole; and
a dust discharge path of which one end is connected to the dust
introduction part to communicatively connect to the through-hole and the
other end is connected to the dust containing part, wherein
15 the dust discharge path is linearly formed along the vertical
direction from the one end to the other end.
2. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, comprising
an up/down movement mechanism adapted to integrally move up
20 or down the dust introduction part, the dust discharge path, and the dust
containing part.
3. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:
a supporting part that supports the dust introduction part; and
25 a driving part that has a shaft member connected to the supporting part
and moves up or down the supporting part, wherein
32
the shaft member is arranged separately from the dust introduction
part in a horizontal direction by a predetermined distance.
4. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the through-hole is formed in a rotating body shape5 .
5. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
an open/close mechanism that is provided in the dust discharge
path and switches an open/close state of the dust discharge path.
10
6. An analysis apparatus that heats a sample in a sample
containing part and analyzes gas produced thereby,
the analysis apparatus comprising a dust introduction part that has
a through-hole formed penetrating in a vertical direction and introduces
15 dust produced in the sample containing part into the through -hole, and
being configured to create a substantially uniform flow from the
sample containing part toward the through-hole to discharge the dust
through the through-hole.
20 7. The analysis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
the driving part further has a driving part main body into or out of which
the shaft member moves;
the shaft member moves into the driving part main body, and
thereby the dust introduction part moves in a direction to block a
25 downward opening formed in the sample containing part; and
the shaft member moves out of the driving part main body, and thereby
33
the dust introduction part moves in a direct ion to open the opening.