# US 11,906,407 B2 · Flow analysis device and flow analysis method

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- Number: US 11,906,407 B2
- Document ID: US11906407B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/788,521
- Filed: 2021-03-31
- Published: 2023-02-09
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2020-04-08
- Assignees: Bl Tec K.K.
- Applicants: Bl Tec K.K.
- Inventors: Takashi Nishimura; Kazuo Masaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906407B2

## CPC

- G01N 1/38: Diluting, dispersing or mixing samples
- G01N 21/73: using plasma burners or torches
- G01N 1/00: Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
- G01N 1/10: in the liquid or fluent state {(burettes, pipettes B01L3/02; sampling of ground water E02D1/06; metering by volume of fluids or fluent solid material G01F11/00, G01F13/00)}
- G01N 15/06: Investigating concentration of particle suspensions (by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10)
- G01N 15/0656: {using electric, e.g. electrostatic methods or magnetic methods (by investigating individual particles G01N15/1031, G01N15/12)}
- G01N 21/31: Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)}
- G01N 21/3103: {Atomic absorption analysis}
- G01N 27/62: by investigating the ionisation of gases, e.g. aerosols; by investigating electric discharges, e.g. emission of cathode
- G01N 33/1813: {Specific cations in water, e.g. heavy metals}
- G01N 33/1893: {using flow cells}
- G01N 35/08: using a stream of discrete samples flowing along a tube system, e.g. flow injection analysis
- G01N 15/075: by optical means
- G01N 2015/0053: {in liquids, e.g. trouble}
- G01N 2015/0681: {Purposely modifying particles, e.g. humidifying for growing}
- G01N 2015/0687: {in solutions, e.g. non volatile residue}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

Provided is a flow analyzer and a flow analysis method each of which makes it possible to stably and continuously measure a sample. The flow analyzer and the flow analysis method each include: a marker introducing device (2) which is for introducing a marker into a tube (3); and a marker detecting device (5) which detects the marker and outputs a detection signal to an analyzing device (4), the analyzing device (4) acquiring analysis data on the basis of the detection signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A flow analyzer comprising:
a sampling device having a sampling device thief tube,
an analyzing device,
a marker introducing device having a marker introducing device thief tube, and
a marker detecting device;
wherein the sampling device is configured to introduce a sample into and through a tube via the sampling device thief tube;
wherein the analyzing device is configured to analyze the sample transferred through the tube via the sampling device;
wherein the marker introducing device is configured to introduce a marker into the tube via the marker introducing device thief tube;
wherein the sample includes a plurality of samples, and the marker introducing device and the sampling device are configured such that the marker and, among the plurality of samples, a given number of samples, which given number is one or more, are capable of being alternately introduced into the tube; the introduction of the marker into the tube by the marker introducing device and the introduction of the given number of samples into the tube by the sampling device being automatically and alternately switched therebetween;
wherein at a stage prior to introduction, into the analyzing device, of the marker and the given number of samples which sequentially flow through the tube, the marker detecting device continuously measures liquid flowing through the tube, and outputs a detection signal to the analyzing device when the marker detecting device detects the marker;
wherein the marker detecting device is configured to detect the marker introduced into the tube via the marker introducing device;
wherein the marker detecting device is configured to detect the marker and to output a detection signal to the analyzing device;
wherein the analyzing device is configured to acquire analysis data of the given number of samples when the analyzing device receives the detection signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The flow analyzer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the analyzing device is an atomic absorption photometer, an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer, an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, or an inductively coupled plasma triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The flow analyzer as set forth in claim 1, said flow analyzer being a device for measuring a concentration of a metal element.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The flow analyzer as set forth in claim 1, said flow analyzer further comprising
a gas bubble segmenting device which produces, in the tube, a plurality of segments that are separated by gas bubbles, by carrying out gas bubble segmentation with respect to the sample and the marker that are introduced into the tube.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The flow analyzer as set forth in claim 1, said flow analyzer further comprising
a heating device which carries out a heat treatment with respect to the sample that is transferred through the tube.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The flow analyzer as set forth in claim 1, said flow analyzer further comprising
a reagent adding device which adds a reagent to a flow of the sample that is transferred through the tube.

### Claim 7

A flow analysis method comprising:
a sample introducing step of introducing a sample into a tube;
a marker introducing step of introducing a marker into the tube between the sample introducing step and a next sample introducing step;
a marker detecting step of detecting the marker and outputting a detection signal to an analyzing device;
wherein the sample includes a plurality of samples, and the marker introducing step and the sampling introducing step are carried out such that the marker and, among the plurality of samples, a given number of samples, which given number is one or more, are capable of being alternately introduced into the tube; the introduction of the marker into the tube and the introduction of the given number of samples into the tube being automatically and alternately switched therebetween;
wherein in the marker detecting step, at a stage prior to introduction, into the analyzing device, of the marker and the given number of samples which sequentially flow through the tube, liquid flowing through the tube is continuously measured, and a detection signal is outputted to the analyzing device when the marker is detected; and
an analyzing step of analyzing the sample that is transferred through the tube, wherein the analyzing step comprises acquiring the analysis data of the given number of samples when the detection signal is received.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The flow analysis method as set forth in claim 7, wherein in the analyzing step, the sample is analyzed by atomic absorption photometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, or inductively coupled plasma triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The flow analysis method as set forth in claim 7, said flow analysis method being a method for measuring a concentration of a metal element.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The flow analysis method as set forth in claim 7, said flow analysis method further comprising
a gas bubble segmenting step of producing, in the tube, a plurality of segments that are separated by gas bubbles, by carrying out gas bubble segmentation with respect to the sample and the marker that are introduced into the tube.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The flow analysis method as set forth in claim 7, said flow analysis method further comprising
a heating step of carrying out a heat treatment with respect to the sample that is transferred through the tube,
the sample with respect to which the heat treatment has been carried out being analyzed.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The flow analysis method as set forth in claim 7, said flow analysis method further comprising
a reagent adding step of adding a reagent to a flow of the sample that is transferred through the tube.