Patent ID: 6470760
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for automatically analyzing a trace substance, comprising:(a) samplers for making samples at different sampling points, each of said samples containing a desired substance; (b) concentrators for concentrating the substance contained in said samples to thereby produce concentrated samples; (c) a quantitative analyzer for analyzing quantitatively said substance contained in said concentrated samples; and (d) a controller for controlling said samplers, said concentrators and said analyzer to cause automatically operations of said samplers said concentrators, and said analyzer repeatedly at specific intervals of time; wherein each of said concentrators receives alternatively one of said samples from one of at least two of said samplers, each group of said at least two of said samplers performing a sampling operation and a separation/analysis operation at nonsimultaneous times, said each group of said at least two of said samplers feeding samples to each of said concentrators; and wherein said analyzer receives alternatively one of said concentrated samples from one of said concentrators; at least one of said concentrators not sending concentrated samples to said analyzer being rinsed of residue of a sample previously contained in said at least one concentrator or receiving one of said samples from one of said samplers while said analyzer is receiving said one of said concentrated samples from said one of said concentrators.