# US 11,306,714 B2 · Liquid feeding pump operation monitor

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- Number: US 11,306,714 B2
- Document ID: US11306714B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/606,743
- Filed: 2017-05-16
- Published: 2020-02-20
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-16
- Assignees: Shimadzu Corporation
- Applicants: Shimadzu Corporation
- Inventors: Yusuke Yokoi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306714B2

## CPC

- F04B 51/00: Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations
- F04B 13/00: Pumps specially modified to deliver fixed or variable measured quantities
- F04B 23/02: having reservoirs
- F04B 23/04: Combinations of two or more pumps
- F04B 49/065: {and making use of computers}
- F04B 49/106: {Responsive to pumped volume}
- F04B 2205/09: Flow through the pump
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)

## Abstract

A liquid feeding pump operation monitor includes: a liquid gauge that measures a remaining amount of a liquid to be fed by a liquid feeding pump; and an operation detector configured to detect a reduction of the remaining amount, which is measured by the liquid gauge, of the liquid to be fed, and to detect an operation of the liquid feeding pump based on the detection of the reduction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An analysis system comprising:
an analysis device that performs analysis using liquid flow, the analysis device including a liquid feeding pump for feeding liquid from a container to provide the liquid flow, the container containing a liquid for the analysis;
a liquid gauge that measures a remaining amount of the liquid in the container;
an operation detector configured to detect a reduction of the remaining amount, which is measured by the liquid gauge, of the liquid to be fed, and to detect an operation of the liquid feeding pump based on the detection of the reduction; and
an operating time calculator configured to calculate an operating time of the liquid feeding pump by adding up a time during which the operation of the liquid feeding pump is detected by the operation detector.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The analysis system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a power-on time calculator configured to add up a time during which the liquid feeding pump is on; and
an operating rate calculator configured to calculate an operating rate of the liquid feeding pump based on the operating time calculated by the operating time calculator and the power-on time calculated by the power-on time calculator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The analysis system according to claim 1, wherein the operation detector is configured to calculate a changing rate of the remaining amount, which is measured by the liquid gauge, of the liquid to be fed, and to detect that the liquid feeding pump is in operation when the changing rate is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The analysis system according to claim 3, wherein the operation detector is configured to perform a noise removal processing on the remaining amount, which is measured by the liquid gauge, of the liquid to be fed, before the changing rate is calculated.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The analysis system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid gauge measures a weight of a container in which the liquid to be fed is stored.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The analysis system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid gauge measures a liquid level of the liquid to be fed.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A network system comprising:
a data server to which the analysis system according to claim 1 is connected and in which information concerning an operating status of the liquid feeding pump, acquired by the analysis system, is collected; and
a terminal connected to the data server in order to access the information concerning the operating status of the liquid feeding pump, collected in the data server.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The network system according to claim 7, wherein
a plurality of analysis systems are connected to the data server, and
the network system is configured to be able to access, from the terminal, information concerning an operating status of the liquid feeding pump in any of the analysis systems.