Patent ID: 9671419
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. A liquid collection device comprising: a probe, to be inserted from above into a container containing a liquid, for sucking in the liquid inside the container; a probe driving mechanism for driving the probe in at least a vertical direction; a pump for performing suction and discharge of a liquid through the probe; a liquid level sensor for detecting that a tip end of the probe has come into contact with a liquid surface; probe operation control means for controlling the probe driving mechanism and the pump so as to perform a probe lowering operation of lowering the probe from a position above a container containing a suction target liquid and placing the probe inside the container, and a suction operation of sucking in the liquid inside the container by a preset amount; liquid level detection means configured to detect a liquid level before the suction operation, based on a detection signal of the liquid level sensor, by detecting a position of the probe at a time of the probe tip end coming into contact with the liquid surface at a time of the probe lowering operation; post-suction liquid level calculation means configured to calculate a theoretical value of the liquid level after the suction operation based on the liquid level before the suction operation detected by the liquid level detection means and an amount of suction at a time of the suction operation; a post-suction liquid level storage section for storing the theoretical value of the liquid level calculated by the post-suction liquid level calculation means; a first threshold holding section for holding a first threshold that is set as a maximum value of an error allowed for a difference between the theoretical value of the liquid level after the suction operation calculated by the post-suction liquid level calculation means and an actual liquid level after the suction operation; a second threshold holding section for holding a second threshold that is set greater than the first threshold; difference calculation means configured to calculate, when the probe lowering operation is to be performed for a second or subsequent time for a container of a same suction target, a difference between the liquid level detected by the liquid level detection means and the theoretical value, for the container, of the liquid level after the suction operation stored in the post-suction liquid level storage section; foam detection means configured to compare a difference value calculated by the difference calculation means against the first threshold and the second threshold, and to detect presence of foam if the difference value is greater than the first threshold and is equal to or smaller than the second threshold; and warning display means configured to output to an effect that presence of foam is detected by the foam detection means, at a time of the detection, by a method allowing recognition by an operator.