CA1069341A - Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer - Google Patents

Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer

Info

Publication number
CA1069341A
CA1069341A CA324,544A CA324544A CA1069341A CA 1069341 A CA1069341 A CA 1069341A CA 324544 A CA324544 A CA 324544A CA 1069341 A CA1069341 A CA 1069341A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
turret base
sample
revolving turret
sample carrier
hollow axle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA324,544A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Charles Soodak
David L. Lessner
James H. Macemon
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Baxter International Inc
Original Assignee
Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US05/687,883 external-priority patent/US4047820A/en
Application filed by Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc filed Critical Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc
Priority to CA324,544A priority Critical patent/CA1069341A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1069341A publication Critical patent/CA1069341A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

ABSTRACT

A rotary sample changer for a spectrofluorometer has a revolving turret base which can be indexed and which carries an interchangeable sample carrier. Different sample carriers accom-modate test cells, test tubes and cuvettes of different sizes and shapes.
The revolving turret base and the interchangeable rotary sample carriers are constructed of material having good thermal conductivity and rotate on a large stationary hollow axle which is thermostated by thermally controlled internal fluid cir-culation to act as a heat source or sink to the samples. Thus, the sample carriers can readily be interchanged without disturbing the plumbing by which the thermostatic fluid is circulated.
The revolving turret base is detented at the stations to which it is indexed without kinematic ambiguity and without application of any cocking force. Two spring biased ball detents, symmetrically spaced 180° about the axis of rotation, are provided At the four index stations one ball catches on one of two indexing grooves spaced 90° apart, while the other ball bears against a flat.

Description

~10693~ .
The sample changer dlsclosed hereln is of general utility. It is part of a newly developed spectrofluorometer having other inventive features which are unrelated to the instant invention, except for use in the same commercial embodiment.
In spectroflurometers and many other optical test instruments, it is desirable to have a sample changer which permits different samples to be brought successively to an optical testing point. The sample changer should accommodate samples in the different kinds of containers which are used to hold samples. Included are test tubes, parallel-sided test cells and cuvettes.
A sample changer can accept different containers by using, as its sample support portion, interchangeable sample carriers, each specifically designed to accept the shape and size of particular sample containers.
The sample carrier should be thermostated to keep the samples at a proper temperature. In the past this has been accomplished by flowing thermally controlled fluid through passages in the sample carrier. Such an expedient requires the thermostatic flllid plumbing system to be dis-connected and reconnected when changing the sample carrier.
The present invention relates to a constant temperature sample changer for multiple samples contained in sample containers.
The invention comprises, a hollow stationary axle; a revolving turret base mounted on the stationary hollow axle for rotation thereon; means to index the revolving turret base to any of a sequence of angular orientations; a readily removable inter-changeable sample carrier mounted on the stationary hollow aY~le "

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10693~

for rotation thereon ad~acent the turret base; means to unambiguously key the i.nterchangeable sample carrier to the revolving turret base, whereby, when the revol.ving turret base is indexed, the i.nterchangeable rotary sample carrier is correspondingly indexed; the interchangeable sample carrier having receivers of shape adapted to receive the sample containers, the receivers being located angularly about the interchangeable sample carrier at positions correspondingly to the sequence of angular orientations; the indexing means including at least two spring biased ball detents, evenly angularly distributed about the axis of rotation of the revolving turret base;
the indexing means further including a flat member having grooves radial to the axis of rotation; the spring biased ball detents and the flat member being arranged in confronting relationship so that the spring biased ball detents bear against the flat member and slide thereon as the flat member is rotated relative to the spring biased ball detents; the grooves being so arranged that onl~ one spring biased ball detent can catch in a groove at a time, and only at a corresponding one of the sequence of angular orientations.
VIEWS OF DR~WING
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sample changer, and . Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the sample changer.

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In Figure 1 the sample changer is seen as a complete assenbly, ready for loading with sample cells. The positions which four parallel sided sample cells 51 would occupy are shown in phantom lines.
An entrance ray 5 of light, which may be monochromatic and may be in the ultraviolet range, is shown as going into and through the location o, one of the parallel sided sample cells 51 and emerging as a direct exit ray 6. The entrance ray 5 may also produce scatter rays in various directions lying at different angles to the entrance ray 5; one of these scatter rays is represented by ray 7. Furthermore, the entrance ray 5 may excite fluorescent radiation in the sample, over a wide range of angles, and one of the emitted fluorescent rays is also represented by ray 7.
A measurement of the intensity of the direct exit ray 6 or the intensity of the scatter emission or fluorescent emission ray 7 provides part of the information needed to determir e the optical properties of the sample. These properties are of interest, among other things, in the study and diagnosis of medical conditions.
The sample changer 10 is built on a base 11 to which front panel 12 is attached. Because the optical tests are made at extremely low light levels, it is necessary to make the tests in the dark. Accordingly, the front panel is provided with light-trap lips 13 and 14, which cooperate with a cover and with other parts of the equipment, not shown, to keep room light away from the samples. The front panel is provided with a knob 15, for indexing the revolving turrent base 20 and the interchangeabl rotary sample carrier 30 so as to sequentially bring the four '~

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~0693~1 samples up to the entrance ray 5. The particular samplc on which~
the entrance ray S impinges is indicated by the numerals on each of the faces of knob 15. The locations 1 to 4 of the inter-changeable rotary sample 30 carrier can be correspondingly labelec .
Knob 15 rotates the revolving turret base 20 through means which includes miter gears 24, driving gear 23, drive belt 22 and driven gear 21, the last being fixed to the revolving turret base .
20.
The revolving turret base 20 rotates on a large stationary hollow axle 60, which is seen in the pa~tially explodec view of Figure 2. In that view the interchangeable rotary sample carrier 30 has been raised up, off the stationary hollow axle 60 and the revolving turret bzse 20, while the revolving turret base 20 is shown in correct operating relationship with the stationary hollow axle 60. However, the stationary hollow axle 60 is shown as being raised up, off the base 11, so as to expose to view the inlet and outlet nipples 62 and 63. These nipplss provide circulating temperature-controlled water.to the interior of the stationary hollow axle 60, for a purpose which will be explained below~
I~hen stationary hollow axle 60 is lowered downwardly a distance indicated by dotted lines 43 and 44, the stationary hollow axle 60 will seat properly on base 11 and the driven gear 21 of turret base 20 will just clear the base 11.
The particular interchangeable rotary sample carrier 30 which is depicted in Figure 2 is adapted to accept either roun~
test tubes 52 or parallel sided test cells 51. It will be seen that the pockets or clips or receivers 33 for receiving these sample carriers are broached with intersecting square and round cross sections. ~hen a round cross section test tube 52 is ' .

in the receiver 33 of interchangeable rotary sample carrier 30, assembled on revolving turret base 20, as shown in Figure 1, the rounded bottom of the test tube sits in and is supported by the edge of aperture 27 of the revolving turret base, while i. a parallel sided test cell 51 of square cross section is seated in place in receiver 33, its bottom end sits on flat supporting surface 26~
The interchangeable rotary sample carrier 30, when assembled on stationary hollow axle 60 and revolving turret base 20, is keyed to the latter in an unambiguous angular orientation by means cf key 25 and key slot-32.
The interchangeable rotary sample carrier 30 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity. Thus, the samples accept or reject heat, by way of thermal conduction through the interchangeable rotary sample carrier 30 to the stationary hollow axle 60, which acts respectively as a heat source or heat sink for the samples. Thus, the samples are thermostated to the temperature of the temperature-controlled water which circulates in stationary hollow axle 60.
~ Jhile only one particular form of interchangeable rota Y
sample carrier 30 has been illustrated, other forms, adapted to the shape of other sample containers, can be substituted. This requires merely the removal of screw 31 froM screw hole 61, and does not require the disassembly of the circulating water system plumbing. Thus, a change of sample carrier is simple and requires little time.
Since the samples must be indexed, an indexing detent is provided. In the invention the detenting is performed at the turret, rather than at knob lS. The bottom side of driven gear 21 is provided with two downwardly facing radial : ~

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~06939~'1 grooves 40a and 40b, which are spaced at right angles. That is, there are downwardly facing grooves at, say, zero ard 90 degree orientation, with no grooves at 180 and 270 orientation. The two downwardly facing grooves cooperate, one at a time, with two upwardly facing ball detents 41a and 41b, which are spaced 180 apart, and which are spring biased upwardly. While one ball detent pushes upwardly against one o.f the downwardly facing grooves in the driven gear 21 (and thereby detents the turret) the other ball detent pushes upwardly against the flat underside of the driven gear 21.
It will be seen from Figure 2, that when the driven gear 21 is lowered to its operating position, the downwardly facing groove 40a lowers according to the dotted line 43 to meet ball detent 41a. EIowever, downwardly facing groove 40b lowers according to dotted line 44 to lie over a vacant portion of base 11.
Since the upward pushes of the two ball detents are about equal in force, but on directly opposite sides of stationar hollow axle 60, it follows that the ball detents do not tend to cock or jam the sample changer. Furthermore, since only one ball-groove action occurs at a time, the detenting action is without angular ambiguity, such as could occur with two 180 spaced ball detents and four 90 spaced grooves.
It will be evident, with this system of indexing, that the spring biased ball detents should always be spaced equally about the axis of rotation, at 180 for two, 120 for three, etc., so as to provide a balanced non-cocking detenting force. Furthermore, the product of the number of balls detent and the number of grooves gives the number of indexing positions.
For nine equally spaced indexing positions, three ball detents spaced 120 are used with three grooves. The grooves can be . . , . , ~

1~69341 arranged in nany trays, of which two are:

0 80~ 160 Although, for purposes of exposition, the two downwardly facing grooves 40a and 40b are shown as co.~ing through the teeth o~ driven gear 21, it is to be understood that, as in . a prototype e~bodi~ent, the grooves need extend radially -~ a distance only long enough to span the radial location of the upwardly biased ball detent.s 41a and 41b.
Various other variations will be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

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Claims (5)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In a constant temperature sample changer for multiple samples contained in sample containers:
a hollow stationary axle;
a revolving turret base mounted on such stationary hollow axle for rotation thereon;
means to index said revolving turret base to any of a sequence of angular orientations;
a readily removable interchangeable sample carrier mounted on said stationary hollow axle for rotation thereon adjacent said turret base;
means to unambiguously key said interchangeable sample carrier to said revolving turret base, whereby, when said revolving turret base is indexed, said inter-changeable rotary sample carrier is correspondingly indexed;
said interchangeable sample carrier having receivers of shape adapted to receive said sample containers, said receivers being located angularly about said inter-changeable sample carrier at positions corresponding to said sequence of angular orientations;
said indexing means including at least two spring biased ball detents, evenly angularly distributed about the axis of rotation of said revolving turret base;
said indexing means further including a flat member having grooves radial to said axis of rotation;

said spring biased ball detents and said flat member being arranged in confronting relationship so that said spring biased ball detents bear against said flat member and slide thereon as said flat member is rotated relative to said spring biased ball detents;
said grooves being so arranged that only one spring biased ball detent can catch in a groove at a time, and only at a corresponding one of said sequence of angular orientations.
2. The subject matter of claim 1 having:
a front panel control means for setting said revolving turret base to any selected one of said sequence of angular orientations.
3. The subject matter of claim 2 in which:
said front panel control includes a rotary knob, adapted for selective rotation by hand;
and indicia, cooperatively associated with said knob, to indicate what one of said sequence of angular orientations has been selected.
4. The subject matter of claim 2 in which:
said interchangeable sample carrier and said stationary hollow axle are made of a material having high heat conductivity; and having means to maintain said stationary hollow axle at a constant temperature, whereby, by means of heat conduction, said containers of samples are thermostated to the temperature of said stationary hollow axle.
5. The subject matter of claim 4 wherein:
the means to maintain said stationary hollow axle at a constant temperature includes means for flowing liquid through the hollow of said stationary axle.
CA324,544A 1976-05-19 1979-03-30 Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer Expired CA1069341A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA324,544A CA1069341A (en) 1976-05-19 1979-03-30 Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US05/687,883 US4047820A (en) 1976-05-19 1976-05-19 Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer
CA259,415A CA1066917A (en) 1976-05-19 1976-08-19 Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer
CA324,544A CA1069341A (en) 1976-05-19 1979-03-30 Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1069341A true CA1069341A (en) 1980-01-08

Family

ID=27164604

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA324,544A Expired CA1069341A (en) 1976-05-19 1979-03-30 Constant temperature, multiple sample, rotary changer

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1069341A (en)

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