Patent Description:
In analysis using a liquid chromatograph, a solvent to be used is different according to a type of sample which is a measurement target and it is necessary to exchange a solvent in a liquid feeding pump before each analysis. To perform many analyses within a fixed time as various types of samples are targets, it is necessary to perform exchange of a solvent in a short time. To perform the exchange of the solvent in a short time, it is effective to reduce a pump volume.

In general, a liquid feeding pump used for a liquid chromatograph has a configuration in which two plunger pumps are connected in series. A plunger pump located upstream (a first plunger pump) sucks, compresses, and discharges a solvent. Since a constant flow rate cannot be fed only with the first plunger pump, another plunger pump (a second plunger pump) is connected downstream. The second plunger pump performs an operation of counteracting a pulsating flow of the first plunger pump (discharging a solvent when the first plunger pump sucks and compresses the solvent), and thus the liquid feeding pump can feed a constant flow rate.

The compression of the solvent in the operation of the first plunger pump is a process of raising a pressure (a discharge pressure) of the sucked solvent at which the second plunger pump discharges the solvent from the atmospheric pressure. Here, when the pressure of the solvent is substantially the same as a discharge pressure, it is necessary to end the compression operation. When the compression operation continues over the discharge pressure (over-compression), the first and second plunger pumps discharge the solvent together in the section, a flow rate increases in the liquid feeding pump, and thus the discharge pressure is raised to that extent. When the compression is short and does not reach a discharge pressure, and the compression operation ends (compression deficiency), the first and second plunger pumps do not discharge the solvent in a subsequent process and the solvent is not fed instantaneously, and thus the discharge pressure is lowered meanwhiles. When the flow rate varies, not only does analysis accuracy of the liquid chromatograph deteriorate but a load is also applied to a separation column due to an involved pulsation of the pressure, and thus consumption is quickened.

As a technology for preventing over-compression or compression deficiency, PTL <NUM> discloses a liquid feeding pump that controls an operation of the first plunger pump by providing a pressure sensor measuring a pressure of a solvent in the first plunger pump and a pressure sensor measuring a pressure of a solvent discharged by the second plunger pump, and by comparing values measured by the pressure sensors in a compression process.

PTL <NUM> discloses a liquid feeding pump that has a configuration in which the first and second plunger pumps are connected in series and a pressure sensor is provided only downstream from the second plunger pump.

PTL <NUM> discloses a liquid feeding pump that corrects and controls a flow rate from a compression volume in a compression process and a history of a pressure while the compression is completed (compression pressure). A further liquid pump is known from <CIT>.

However, since the pressure sensor is provided in each of the first and second plunger pumps in the liquid feeding pump of PTL <NUM>, a pump volume increases. To reduce the pump volume and exchange the solvent in a short time, the pressure sensor may not be provided on the first plunger pump side and the volume may be reduced to that extent. However, there is a challenge that liquid feeding is implemented with little pulsation of a pressure and a flow rate on the condition that only the pressure sensor of the second plunger pump is used to control an operation of the first plunger pump.

In the liquid feeding pump disclosed in PTL <NUM>, as described above, the pressure sensor is provided only on the second plunger pump side, and thus an increase in the pump volume can be said to be suppressed. In PTL <NUM>, however, there is no mention about implementation of liquid feeding with little pulsation of a pressure and a flow rate.

In the liquid feeding pump disclosed in PTL <NUM>, there is no mention about implementation of liquid feeding with little pulsation of a pressure and a flow rate either.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a technology capable of reducing a volume of a liquid feeding pump and enabling liquid feeding with little pulsation.

To solve the foregoing problems, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a liquid feeding pump includes: a first plunger pump including a first plunger; a second plunger pump including a second plunger and connected to the first plunger pump in series; a pressure sensor disposed downstream from the second plunger pump; and a control unit configured to receive an input of a discharge pressure of a liquid measured by the pressure sensor and control driving of the first plunger and driving of the second plunger. The control unit calculates a pressure change rate of the liquid based on a past compression distance of the first plunger while the liquid is compressed by the first plunger pump and a pressure while the compression is completed, predicts a compression distance of the first plunger based on the pressure change rate and a current discharge pressure, and determines when the compression by the first plunger is completed based on the predicted compression distance.

Further features related to the present disclosure are apparent from description of the present specification and the appended drawings. Aspects of the present disclosure are achieved and implemented according to elements and combinations of the elements, subsequent detailed description, and aspects of the appended claims. The description of the present specification is a typical example and does not limit the claims and application examples of the present disclosure in any sense.

The liquid feeding pump according to the present disclosure can reduce a volume of a liquid feeding pump and enables liquid feeding with little pulsation. The other problems, configurations, and advantageous effects are apparent from description of the following embodiments.

<FIG> is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a liquid chromatograph <NUM> including a liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to a first embodiment. As illustrated in <FIG>, the liquid chromatograph <NUM> includes the liquid feeding pump <NUM>, an injector <NUM> introducing a sample into the liquid chromatograph <NUM>, a separation column <NUM>, a detector <NUM>, and a waste liquid container <NUM>. Since the injector <NUM>, the separation column <NUM>, the detector <NUM>, and the waste liquid container <NUM> can generally be used for liquid chromatographs, detailed configurations will not be described separately in the embodiment.

The liquid feeding pump <NUM> includes a controller <NUM> (a control unit), a pressure sensor <NUM>, a first plunger pump <NUM>, a second plunger pump <NUM>, a connection flow passage <NUM>, a first electronic valve <NUM>, a second electronic valve <NUM>, a motor driver <NUM>, a purge valve driver <NUM>, a purge valve <NUM>, a waste liquid tank <NUM>, and an electronic valve driver <NUM>. The first plunger pump <NUM> and the second plunger pump <NUM> are connected in series. The first plunger pump <NUM> is disposed upstream and the second plunger pump <NUM> is disposed downstream.

The pressure sensor <NUM> is installed downstream from the second plunger pump <NUM>. The pressure sensor <NUM> measures a pressure (a discharge pressure) of a solvent (liquid) discharged from the second plunger pump <NUM> and outputs a pressure value to the controller <NUM>.

As will be described below in detail, the controller <NUM> gives an instruction value to the motor driver <NUM> and the electronic valve driver <NUM> based on the discharge pressure measured by the pressure sensor <NUM> and a predetermined operation sequence to operate the motor driver <NUM> and the electronic valve driver <NUM>. The controller <NUM> gives an instruction value to the purge valve driver <NUM> based on the predetermined operation sequence to operate the purge valve driver <NUM>.

The first plunger pump <NUM> includes a first pump head <NUM> in which a first pressurization chamber <NUM>, a first plunger <NUM>, a first suction passage <NUM>, a first discharge passage <NUM>, a first check valve <NUM>, a second check valve <NUM>, a first seal <NUM>, and a bearing <NUM> are formed. The first check valve <NUM> is disposed on a flow passage of the first suction passage <NUM> and the second check valve <NUM> is disposed on a flow passage of the first discharge passage <NUM>, and thus a flow direction of a solvent liquid is limited. The first plunger <NUM> (a pressurization member) is held to be slidable inside the first plunger pump <NUM> by the bearing <NUM>. The first seal <NUM> prevents liquid leakage from the first pressurization chamber <NUM>.

The second plunger pump <NUM> includes a second pump head <NUM> in which a second pressurization chamber <NUM>, a second plunger <NUM>, a second suction passage <NUM>, a second discharge passage <NUM>, a second seal <NUM>, and a bearing <NUM> are formed. The second check valve <NUM> and the second suction passage <NUM> are connected by the connection flow passage <NUM>. That is, the first plunger pump <NUM> and the second plunger pump <NUM> are disposed in series and the first plunger pump <NUM> is installed upstream. The second plunger <NUM> (a pressurization member) is held to be slidable inside the second plunger pump <NUM> by the bearing <NUM>. The second seal <NUM> prevents liquid leakage from the second pressurization chamber <NUM>.

In the present specification, a "lower limit point" indicates a position at which a plunger descends most in a range that the plunger can move inside a pressurization chamber. On the other hand, an "upper limit point" indicates a position at which a plunger ascends most in a range that the plunger can move inside a pressurization chamber. The "ascending" of the plunger indicates a motion in a direction in which a solvent in the pressurization chamber is compressed or discharged (a motion in the right direction in <FIG>) and the "descending" of the plunger indicates a motion in a direction in which a solvent in the pressurization chamber is sucked (a motion in the left direction in <FIG>).

A reciprocation motion of the first plunger <NUM> is controlled by a first electric motor <NUM>, a deceleration device <NUM>, and a straight motion device <NUM>. More specifically, the motor driver <NUM> supplies driving power to the first electric motor <NUM> to rotate the first electric motor <NUM> based on an instruction value of the controller <NUM>. The rotation of the first electric motor <NUM> is decelerated by the deceleration device <NUM> and is converted into a straight motion by the straight motion device <NUM>, and thus the first plunger <NUM> performs a reciprocation motion.

Similarly, a reciprocation motion of the second plunger <NUM> is controlled by a second electric motor <NUM>, a deceleration device <NUM>, and a straight motion device <NUM>. More specifically, the motor driver <NUM> supplies driving power to the second electric motor <NUM> to rotate the second electric motor <NUM> based on an instruction value of the controller <NUM>. The rotation of the second electric motor <NUM> is decelerated by the deceleration device <NUM> and is converted into a straight motion by the straight motion device <NUM>, and thus the second plunger <NUM> performs a reciprocation motion.

The deceleration device <NUM> and the straight motion device <NUM> are combined to serve as a power transmission mechanism device in a broad sense by amplifying rotational power of the first electric motor <NUM> and converting the rotation power into linear power. The same applies to the deceleration device <NUM> and the straight motion device <NUM>.

Specific examples of the deceleration devices <NUM> and <NUM> include a spur gear, a pulley, a planetary gear, and a worm gear. A main reason for providing the deceleration devices <NUM> and <NUM> is that torque of the first electric motor <NUM> and the second electric motor <NUM> is increased. When the first electric motor <NUM> and the second electric motor <NUM> have a capability to generate sufficient torque, it is not necessary to install the deceleration devices <NUM> and <NUM>. Specific examples of the straight motion devices <NUM> and <NUM> include a ball screw, a cam, and a rack and pinion.

The purge valve driver <NUM> supplies driving power to the purge valve <NUM> based on an instruction value of the controller <NUM>. The purge valve <NUM> is connected downstream from the second plunger pump <NUM>. The purge valve <NUM> switches a direction in which a solvent discharged from the liquid feeding pump <NUM> flows toward one of the injector <NUM> and the waste liquid tank <NUM>.

The electronic valve driver <NUM> supplies driving power to the first electronic valve <NUM> and the second electronic valve <NUM> based on an instruction value of the controller <NUM>. A solvent container that contains a first solvent <NUM> and a solvent container that contains a second solvent <NUM> are installed outside of the liquid feeding pump <NUM>. The first solvent <NUM> or the second solvent <NUM> can be fed to the liquid feeding pump <NUM> by opening or closing the first electronic valve <NUM> and the second electronic valve <NUM> and driving the first plunger pump <NUM> and the second plunger pump <NUM> (the first plunger <NUM> and the second plunger <NUM>).

When the first plunger pump <NUM> sucks a solvent, one of the first electronic valve <NUM> and the second electronic valve <NUM> enters an opened state and the other valve enters a closed state, and one of the first solvent <NUM> and the second solvent <NUM> is sucked. The sucked solvent passes through the first check valve <NUM> and the first suction passage <NUM> to be sucked to the first pressurization chamber <NUM>. The solvent sucked inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> is compressed as the first plunger <NUM> ascends.

When the solvent is compressed and an internal pressure of the first pressurization chamber <NUM> is greater than the internal pressure of the second pressurization chamber <NUM>, the solvent flows in the first discharge passage <NUM>, the second check valve <NUM>, the connection flow passage <NUM>, and the second suction passage <NUM> and is discharged from the second discharge passage <NUM>.

The injector <NUM> injects a sample which is an analysis target into the solvent discharged from the liquid feeding pump <NUM>. The solvent into which the sample is injected is introduced into the separation column <NUM> and is separated into components. Thereafter, the detector <NUM> detects absorbance, fluorescence intensity, a refractive index, or the like according to the sample components. The separation column <NUM> is filled with fine particles, and thus a load pressure of tens of megapascals to hundred megapascals or more is generated in the liquid feeding pump <NUM> due to fluid resistance when the solvent flows in gaps of the fine particles. Magnitude of the load pressure differs depending on a diameter of the separation column <NUM> and a passage flow rate.

When analysis using the first solvent <NUM> is switched to analysis using the second solvent <NUM>, the first electronic valve <NUM> is switched from an opened state to a closed state before the analysis using the second solvent <NUM>, and then the second electronic valve <NUM> is switched from the closed state to the opened state. Accordingly, the inside (the first check valve <NUM>, the first suction passage <NUM>, the first pressurization chamber <NUM>, the first discharge passage <NUM>, the second check valve <NUM>, the connection flow passage <NUM>, the second suction passage <NUM>, the second pressurization chamber <NUM>, the second discharge passage <NUM>, the pressure sensor <NUM>, the purge valve <NUM>, and pipe lines connecting therebetween) of the liquid feeding pump <NUM>, the injector <NUM>, the separation column <NUM>, and the detector <NUM>, and the insides of pipe lines connecting therebetween are exchanged from the first solvent <NUM> to the second solvent <NUM>. Here, by shortening a time in which the solvent is exchanged, it is possible to increase the number of analyses made within a certain time.

An overview of a liquid feeding method during normal liquid feeding using the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment will be described. Here, "normal liquid feeding" is a liquid feeding method when a solvent discharged from the liquid feeding pump <NUM> flows in the injector <NUM>, the separation column <NUM>, and the detector <NUM> to analyze a sample. When a sample is not analyzed (when a solvent is fed to the waste liquid tank <NUM>), a similar operation is performed. Therefore, description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a displacement of each plunger at the time of normal liquid feeding of a solvent, and a discharge flow rate and a discharge pressure of the solvent in the liquid feeding pump <NUM>. In all of four graphs illustrated in <FIG>, the horizontal axis represents a time and the vertical axis represents a displacement of the first plunger <NUM>, a displacement of the second plunger <NUM>, a discharge flow rate of the solvent, and a discharge pressure of the solvent in sequence from the top. Here, the discharge flow rate is a flow rate discharged from the liquid feeding pump <NUM> and the discharge pressure is a pressure detected by the pressure sensor <NUM>. For the displacement of the first plunger <NUM> and the displacement of the second plunger <NUM>, an ascending direction (the right direction of <FIG>) is a positive direction and a descending direction (the left direction of <FIG>) is a negative direction. For the discharge flow rate, discharge is set to be positive and suction is set to be negative.

In the normal liquid feeding, the first plunger <NUM> and the second plunger <NUM> operate together using a lower limit point as a reference.

In the normal liquid feeding, the first plunger pump <NUM> and the second plunger pump <NUM> perform a periodic operation together. In <FIG>, four periods are illustrated. In one liquid feeding period, in a section a in which the first plunger <NUM> descends and sucks a solvent and a section b in which the first plunger <NUM> ascends and compresses the solvent, the solvent is not discharged from the first pressurization chamber <NUM>. Therefore, the second plunger <NUM> ascends and discharges the solvent. As will be described below in detail, the section b includes a section b1 in which the first plunger <NUM> ascends and a section b2 in which the first plunger <NUM> stops subsequently. After the section b, in a section c in which the second plunger <NUM> descends and sucks the solvent, the first plunger <NUM> discharges the solvent corresponding to the solvent sucked by the second plunger <NUM> and the solvent discharged downstream of the pump. Thereafter, in the section b, the first plunger <NUM> ascends and discharges the solvent and the second plunger <NUM> stops. In such an operation, a flow rate discharged from the liquid feeding pump <NUM> can be kept substantially constant and a discharge pressure can also be kept substantially constant. Here, when the section b1 is completed, when the first plunger <NUM> continues the compression operation, a pressure of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> exceeds a discharge pressure (over-compression) and a discharge flow rate thus increases instantaneously. Accordingly, the discharge pressure also increases instantaneously. When the section b1 is completed, a compression distance of the first plunger <NUM> (a movement distance of the first plunger <NUM> in a compression process (the section b)) is not sufficient. When the pressure of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> does not reach a discharge pressure (compression deficiency), a discharge flow rate decreases instantaneously at the time of start of the section c. Accordingly, the discharge pressure also decreases instantaneously. According to the over-compression or the compression deficiency, a pulsation occurs in the discharge pressure. <FIG> illustrates a pressure pulsation when the over-compression occurs.

Next, the details of a method of controlling a speed of the first plunger <NUM> and a speed of the second plunger <NUM> to decrease a pulsation of a discharge pressure caused due to over-compression of the first plunger <NUM> will be described. When the controller <NUM> actually outputs instruction values to the motor driver <NUM>, the speed of the first plunger <NUM> and the speed of the second plunger <NUM> are controlled by driving the first electric motor <NUM>, the second electric motor <NUM>, and the like according to the output values. Hereinafter, for simplicity, the controller <NUM> directly controls operations of the first plunger <NUM> and the second plunger <NUM> in some descriptions.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a method of controlling a speed of the first plunger <NUM> and a speed of the second plunger <NUM> at the time of normal liquid feeding. <FIG> illustrates only an operation corresponding to one period. In all of five graphs illustrated in <FIG>, the horizontal axis represents a time and the vertical axis represents a displacement of the first plunger <NUM>, a displacement of the second plunger <NUM>, a speed of the first plunger <NUM>, a speed of the second plunger <NUM>, and a pressure in sequence from the top. The speed of the first plunger <NUM> and the speed of the second plunger <NUM> are set to be positive at the time of ascending of the plungers and negative at the time of descending of the plungers. For the pressure, a discharge pressure measured by the pressure sensor <NUM> is indicated by a solid line and a pressure P11 of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> is indicated by a dotted line. Here, the discharge pressure can be measured by the pressure sensor <NUM>, but there is no mechanism for measuring the pressure P11 of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM>.

In the section a, the controller <NUM> descends the first plunger <NUM> at a negative speed until the lower limit point (see <FIG>) and ascends the second plunger <NUM> at a constant positive speed from the lower limit point. When a position of the first plunger <NUM> arrives at the lower limit point, the controller <NUM> temporarily stops the first plunger <NUM> (a speed of <NUM>). A discharge pressure in the section a is constant. The pressure P11 of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> decreases until a pressure less than the atmospheric pressure and subsequently becomes constant. When the first plunger <NUM> stops, the pressure becomes the atmospheric pressure.

In the section b1, the controller <NUM> ascends the first plunger <NUM>. Here, the first plunger <NUM> is first ascended while the speed is increased, and then the speed is caused to be a constant speed. The controller <NUM> continuously ascends the second plunger <NUM> at a constant positive speed as in the section a. A discharge pressure in the section b1 is constant. The solvent is compressed as first plunger <NUM> ascends, and the pressure P11 of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> increases.

When the pressure P11 of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> is greater than the discharge pressure, a pulsation arises in the discharge pressure due to the over-compression. The controller <NUM> determines that the compression of the solvent is completed by the pulsation of the discharge pressure. Specifically, the controller <NUM> sets Pb1 as discharge pressure at the time of start of the section b1 (the time of start of compression). When an output of the pressure sensor <NUM> is greater than the discharge pressure Pb1 by a predetermined threshold ΔP, the compression of the solvent is determined to be completed, deceleration of the first plunger <NUM> is started and temporarily stopped (the speed is decreased to <NUM>). That is, when an increase amount of a discharge pressure compared to a discharge pressure at the time of start of the compression is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold ΔP, the compression of the solvent is determined to be completed. Thereafter, the section moves to the section c.

In the section c, the controller <NUM> ascends the first plunger <NUM> at a constant speed and descends the second plunger <NUM> at a constant speed. When the second plunger <NUM> reaches the lower limit point, the section moves to a section d.

In the section d, the controller <NUM> ascends the first plunger <NUM> at a constant speed lower than that of the section c. In the section d, the controller <NUM> stops the second plunger <NUM>. In the section d, a pulsation arising with the over-compression is fitted and the discharge pressure is substantially constant.

In the example of <FIG>, the discharge pressure is substantially constant on the whole (except for a pulsation), but the discharge pressure is increased (rises to the right) over time.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a case where completion of compression is misjudged. In <FIG>, a graph of the upper drawing shows a discharge pressure (indicated by a solid line) and a pressure (indicated by a dotted line) of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> and a graph of the lower drawing shows a displacement of the first plunger <NUM> and a displacement of the second plunger <NUM>. In a method of determining completion of the compression in the above-described section b, the completion of the compression is determined to be misjudged in some cases. As described above, when a pulsation arising with the over-compression in the section b is detected, it is determined that the compression is completed and the first plunger <NUM> is stopped. Here, for example, when a pulsation which becomes disturbance, such as a pressure pulsation (so-called injection shock) due to switching of the injector <NUM> at the time of injection of a sample, arises in the liquid feeding pump <NUM> before the completion of the compression (the first plunger <NUM> ascends and the pressure inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> becomes equal to the discharge pressure), the first plunger <NUM> may stop (misjudgment of the completion of the compression) despite no sufficient increase in the pressure P11 of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM>. Thereafter, when the first plunger <NUM> ascends and the second plunger <NUM> descends at the time of start of the section c, the discharge pressure decreases to the pressure inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> and a large decrease in pressure occurs.

In the example of <FIG>, the discharge pressure increases (rises to the right) on the whole (except for a pulsation), and the discharge pressure is substantially constant in some cases and decreases (falls to the right) in some cases.

Accordingly, in the embodiment, to prevent misjudgment of the completion of the compression, the compression determination is not performed until a predicted pressure inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> becomes a pressure lower by ΔPA than a discharge pressure Pb1 immediately before start of the compression (at the time of start of the compression). The determination of the compression is started after the pressure is exceeded. A specific method will be described below.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a relationship between a displacement and a pressure of the first plunger <NUM> while compression is completed at a plurality of periods. In the graph of <FIG>, the vertical axis represents a discharge pressure (a compression pressure Pc) at the time of completion of compression in the section b2 of each period and the horizontal axis represents a movement distance (a compression distance xc) of the first plunger <NUM> at the time of completion of compression.

First, the controller <NUM> sets a current period as an n-th period and calculates a rate of change k(n) in the pressure of the solvent at the time of compression at the current period from and a compression pressure Pc(n-<NUM>) and a compression distance xc(n-<NUM>) in an immediately previous period (an n-<NUM>-th period) by the following Expression (<NUM>).

Expression (<NUM>) is based on the following Expression (<NUM>) expressing a relationship between the compression distance xc and the compression pressure Pc, as illustrated in <FIG>.

Here, xc0 is a distance corresponding to delay of an increase in the discharge pressure with respect to a movement distance of the first plunger <NUM> due to leakage or the like from a seal. In Expression (<NUM>), to obtain a rate of change k simply, the rate of change k is obtained from a compression pressure Pc(n-<NUM>) and a compression distance xc(n-<NUM>) in an immediately previous period of the current period. A value of xc0 is measured in advance and stored in the controller <NUM>. Accordingly, the control can be simplified and the control can be implemented by a controller of low cost.

To obtain the relationship between the compression distance xc and the compression pressure Pc, as illustrated in <FIG>, the rate of change k may be obtained by storing a history obtained by feeding the liquid at various pressures before the current period in the controller <NUM> and linearly approximating the relationship between the compression distance xc and the compression pressure Pc from the history. Accordingly, the rate of change k can be calculated more accurately. Here, xc0 is obtained automatically at the time of linear approximation and a change in delay of the increase in the pressure which is a cause of xc0 over time can be followed.

When a pressure of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> at the time of completion of the compression is estimated to be a pressure Pb1 (a current discharge pressure) at the time of start of the compression, a displacement xA of the first plunger <NUM> when the pressure is lower by ΔPA than that pressure can be expressed as in the following Expression (<NUM>).

The displacement xA of the first plunger <NUM> can be a displacement shorter by a predetermined distance than a displacement of the first plunger <NUM> predicted at the time of completion of the compression. The controller <NUM> determines a section in which the completion of the compression is not determined (a non-determination section) and a section in which the completion of the compression is determined (a determination section) by using the displacement xA of the first plunger <NUM> obtained with Expression (<NUM>) as a boundary. Accordingly, the controller <NUM> does not determine whether the compression is completed regardless of presence of a pulsation until the displacement of the first plunger <NUM> becomes xA. The controller <NUM> starts determining whether the compression is completed when the displacement of the first plunger <NUM> exceeds xA.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a method of determining completion of compression according to the first embodiment. In <FIG>, a graph of the upper drawing shows a discharge pressure (indicated by a solid line) and a pressure (indicated by a dotted line) of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> and a graph of the lower drawing shows a displacement of the first plunger <NUM> and a displacement of the second plunger <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> divides a section into a non-determination section bN in which the completion of the compression is determined and a determination section bD in which the completion of the compression is not determined by using the displacement xA of the first plunger <NUM> obtained with Expression (<NUM>) as a boundary. Even when a pulsation arises due to disturbance of the pressure in the non-determination section bN, the compression continues. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misjudgment of the completion of the compression.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a method of determining completion of compression according to the first embodiment and illustrates a case where a pulsation arises due to disturbance in the determination section bD. As illustrated in <FIG>, when a pressure pulsation arises due to disturbance in the determination section bD, magnitude of a decrease in pressure at the time of start of the section c is a sum of ΔPA and a change in the discharge pressure at a maximum. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a larger decrease in pressure.

In Expression (<NUM>), the pressure at the time of completion of the compression is the pressure Pb1. Instead, when the pressure is a pressure in the section (the section a) before the start of the compression, that is, a pressure while the controller <NUM> does not monitor a pulsation of a discharge pressure, a control process can be simplified. Therefore, the control can be implemented by a controller of lower cost. For the discharge pressure Pb1, the pressure at the time of completion of the compression may be predicted according to a change in the discharge pressure. Here, the displacement xA can be calculated more accurately. Instead of the discharge pressure Pb1, Expression (<NUM>) may be frequently calculated for the current pressure and the displacement xA may be frequently updated. Here, the displacement xA can be calculated further accurately.

The example in which the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment is applied to the liquid chromatograph <NUM> has been described above. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment may also be applied to other devices such as a liquid chromatograph mass spectroscope (LC/MS) in which a liquid feeding pump is used.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a method of controlling the first plunger <NUM> according to a modification example of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, as described above, the first plunger <NUM> stops in the section b2 after the compression is completed. In the modification example, however, as illustrated in a lower part of the graphs of <FIG>, the first plunger <NUM> is minutely ascended in the section b2. In other words, the controller <NUM> decreases a speed of the first plunger <NUM> and continues the compression after the compression is completed. Accordingly, as illustrated in an upper part of the graphs of <FIG>, a decrease (a pulsation) in the pressure at the time of start of the section c can be small. The scheme according to the modification example can also be applied to the following embodiment.

In the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment, as described above, the rate of change k in the pressure of the solvent is calculated based on the compression pressure Pc at the time of completion of the compression in a past period and the compression distance xc of the first plunger <NUM> in the compression process (the section b) for the solvent by the first plunger <NUM>, the displacement xA (a predetermined distance shorter than a predicted compression distance) of the first plunger <NUM> when the pressure of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> is lower by ΔPA than the discharge pressure Pb1 is calculated based on the rate of change k in the pressure and the discharge pressure Pb1 (the current discharge pressure) at the time of start of the compression, and a period in which the completion of the compression is judged (when the compression by the first plunger <NUM> is completed) is determined based on the displacement xA. When the displacement of the first plunger <NUM> exceeds xA, the first plunger <NUM> is ascended, and an output of the pressure sensor <NUM> is greater by the predetermined threshold ΔP than the discharge pressure Pb1, the compression of the solvent is determined to be completed and the first plunger <NUM> is temporarily stopped. Accordingly, a probability of the completion of the compression being misjudged is reduced, and even in the case of misjudgment, a pressure pulsation arising as a result is decreased.

Through liquid feeding with little pressure pulsation, noise occurring in the detector decreases, and thus analysis with high sensitivity can be implemented. Because a pressure pulsation is little, a load applied to the separation column decreases and a lifespan of the separation column can be lengthened.

The liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment may include only one pressure sensor <NUM> (the second plunger pump <NUM> located downstream) to estimate a pressure inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> of the first plunger pump <NUM> by Expression (<NUM>). Accordingly, since a pump volume is less than when two pressure sensors are used, the solvent can be exchanged quickly. Since the number of pressure sensors is only one, cost of the device can be reduced more than when two pressure sensors are installed. Since the number of pressure sensors is only one, it is not necessary to adjust a solid difference in the pressure sensor and production efficiency can be improved.

In the first embodiment, the detection of the pressure pulsation due to over-compression and the stopping of the compression by the first plunger <NUM> have been described. Accordingly, in a second embodiment, a method of decreasing a pressure pulsation associated with determination of compression by completing the compression with a prediction value of a compression distance of the first plunger <NUM> will be proposed.

As a configuration of a liquid feeding pump according to the embodiment, the same configuration as that of the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the first embodiment, as illustrated in <FIG>, can be adopted.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a method of determining completion of compression according to a second embodiment. The controller <NUM> obtains a rate of change k(n) in a pressure of a solvent in Expression (<NUM>), estimates a compression pressure as the discharge pressure Pb1 at the time of start of the compression, and calculates a displacement xc' (a prediction value of a compression distance) of the first plunger <NUM> stopping the compression by the following Expression (<NUM>).

In the process according to the first embodiment, completion of compression is determined on the assumption that a pulsation arises at the time of compression. In the second embodiment, however, the completion of the compression is determined when there is no pulsation until the displacement of the first plunger <NUM> becomes xc'. Accordingly, a pulsation at the time of completion of compression can be further decreased. When there is a pulsation in a discharge pressure until the displacement of the first plunger <NUM> becomes xc' from the time of start of the compression, the controller <NUM> can determine that the compression is completed as in the first embodiment.

In Expression (<NUM>), as described above, the pressure at the time of completion of the compression is set to the discharge pressure Pb1. Instead, when the pressure is a pressure in the section (the section a) before the start of the compression, that is, a pressure while the controller <NUM> does not monitor a pulsation of a discharge pressure, a control process can be simplified. Therefore, the control can be implemented by a controller of lower cost. For the discharge pressure Pb1, the pressure at the time of completion of the compression may be predicted according to a change in the discharge pressure. Here, the displacement xc' can be calculated more accurately. Instead of the discharge pressure Pb1, Expression (<NUM>) may be frequently calculated for the current pressure and the displacement xc' may be frequently updated. Here, the displacement xc' can be calculated further accurately and a pulsation can be decreased as a result.

In the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment, as described above, the rate of change k in the pressure is calculated based on the compression pressure Pc at the time of completion of the compression in a past period and the compression distance xc of the first plunger <NUM> in the compression process (the section b) for the solvent by the first plunger <NUM>, the displacement xc' (the compression distance) of the first plunger <NUM> at the time of completion of the compression is predicted based on the rate of change k in the pressure and the discharge pressure Pb1 (the current discharge pressure) at the time of start of the compression, and the compression of the solvent is completed and the compression is stopped when the displacement becomes xc' (the predicted compression distance) of the first plunger <NUM> (when the first plunger <NUM> completes the compression is determined based on the displacement xc'). Accordingly, the pressure pulsation can be decreased. As described in the first embodiment, misjudgment of the completion of the compression due to disturbance is not made.

In the first embodiment, as described above, the pressure pulsation due to over-compression is detected within a determination period of the compression of the compression and the compression by the first plunger <NUM> is stopped. In the second embodiment, as described above, the compression by the first plunger <NUM> is stopped when a prediction value of the compression distance is obtained. In a third embodiment, as another method of decreasing a pressure pulsation associated with determination of compression, a technology for stopping the compression immediately before a prediction value of a compression distance when a flow rate of a liquid feeding pump becomes <NUM> will be proposed.

<FIG> is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a liquid chromatograph <NUM> including liquid feeding pumps <NUM> and <NUM> according to the third embodiment. As illustrated in <FIG>, a liquid chromatograph <NUM> includes liquid feeding pumps <NUM> and <NUM>, an injector <NUM> introducing a sample into the liquid chromatograph <NUM>, a separation column <NUM>, a detector <NUM>, and a waste liquid container <NUM>. A specific configuration of each of the liquid feeding pumps <NUM> and <NUM> is similar to the configuration of the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the first embodiment. Constituents generally used for a liquid chromatograph can be used as the injector <NUM>, the separation column <NUM>, the detector <NUM>, and the waste liquid container <NUM>.

The liquid chromatograph <NUM> according to the embodiment has a configuration of a so-called high-pressure gradient in which two sets of the liquid feeding pumps are connected in parallel. The liquid feeding pumps <NUM> and <NUM> feed other solvents (the liquid feeding pump <NUM> feeds solvents <NUM> and <NUM> and the liquid feeding pump <NUM> feeds solvents <NUM> and <NUM>), and the solvents are mixed downstream from a junction <NUM> and fed to the separation column <NUM>. Each of flow ratees of the liquid feeding pumps <NUM> and <NUM> is appropriately set according to an analysis item.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a change in flow rate in the liquid feeding pumps <NUM> and <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, when there is a section (times B to C) in which a flow rate of one liquid feeding pump (the liquid feeding pump <NUM> in <FIG>) is <NUM> and the liquid feeding pump <NUM> is completely stopped in the section, an internal pressure of the solvent is the atmospheric pressure. Then, the solvent is not fed until the pressure of the solvent at a timing (the time C) at which the liquid feeding is resumed increases from the atmospheric pressure to the discharge pressure, and reversely flows from the liquid feeding pump <NUM> side toward the liquid feeding pump <NUM> side. As a result, a pulsation of the pressure arises. To prevent such pulsation, the liquid feeding pump <NUM> does not discharge (feed) the solvent in the section (the times B to C) in which the flow rate is <NUM>, but it is necessary to perform the compression. Here, in the embodiment, the pulsation is prevented from arising by stopping the compression immediately before the compression of the liquid feeding pump <NUM> is completed.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a method of controlling the first plunger <NUM> of the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment. The controller <NUM> obtains a rate of change k(m) of the pressure of the solvent in Expression (<NUM>) as in the first embodiment. A period in which the rate of change k is obtained is set to an m-th period (for example, a period including a timing until a time A of <FIG>) before the section (the times B to C in <FIG>) in which the flow rate is <NUM>. The controller <NUM> estimates that the compression pressure is the discharge pressure Pb1 at the time of start of the compression and calculates a displacement xD of the first plunger <NUM> stopping the compression by the following Expression (<NUM>).

Here, ΔPD is a difference between an estimation value of the compression pressure and a pressure at which the compression is stopped. ΔPD can be determined by an experiment carried out in advance and can be set to, for example, a value of <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the discharge pressure Pb1. As a value of Pb1-ΔPD is closer to a value of the discharge pressure Pb1, a pulsation of a timing (the time C) at which the liquid feeding is resumed can be decreased.

In Expression (<NUM>), as descried above, the pressure at the time of completion of the compression is set to the discharge pressure Pb1 at the time of start of the compression. Instead, when the pressure is a pressure in the section (the section a) before the start of the compression, that is, a pressure while the controller <NUM> does not monitor a pulsation of a discharge pressure, a control process can be simplified. Therefore, the control can be implemented by a controller of lower cost. For the discharge pressure Pb1, the pressure at the time of completion of the compression may be predicted according to a change in the discharge pressure. Here, the displacement xD can be calculated more accurately. Instead of the discharge pressure Pb1, Expression (<NUM>) may be frequently calculated for the current pressure and the displacement xD may be frequently updated. Here, the displacement xD can be calculated further accurately and a pulsation can be decreased as a result.

In the liquid feeding pump <NUM> according to the embodiment as described above, when a flow rate becomes <NUM>, the rate of change k in the pressure is calculated based on the compression pressure Pc at the time of completion of the compression in a past period before the flow rate is <NUM> and the compression distance xc of the first plunger <NUM>, the displacement xD (a predetermined distance shorter than predicted compression distance) of the first plunger <NUM> while the pressure of the solvent inside the first pressurization chamber <NUM> is lower by ΔPD than the discharge pressure Pb1 based on the rate of change k in the pressure and the discharge pressure Pb1 (the current discharge pressure) at the time of start of the compression, and the compression of the solvent is completed (stopped) when the displacement becomes xD of the first plunger <NUM> (when the first plunger <NUM> completes the compression is determined based on the displacement xD). Accordingly, a pulsation when the liquid feeding is resumed can be decreased.

Claim 1:
A liquid feeding pump comprising:
a first plunger pump (<NUM>) including a first plunger (<NUM>);
a second plunger pump (<NUM>) including a second plunger (<NUM>) and connected to the first plunger pump in series;
a pressure sensor (<NUM>) disposed downstream from the second plunger pump (<NUM>); and
a control unit (<NUM>) configured to receive an input of a discharge pressure of a liquid measured by the pressure sensor (<NUM>) and to control driving of the first plunger (<NUM>) and driving of the second plunger (<NUM>), characterized in that
the control unit (<NUM>) is configured to calculate a pressure change rate of the liquid based on a past compression distance of the first plunger (<NUM>) while the liquid is compressed by the first plunger pump (<NUM>) and a pressure while the compression is completed, to predict a compression distance of the first plunger (<NUM>) based on the pressure change rate and a current discharge pressure, and to determine when the compression by the first plunger (<NUM>) is completed based on the predicted compression distance.