DE29623034U1 - Pneumatic tube system - Google Patents

Description

Pfaff AQS GmbH

Automatic quality control systems AZ: 7707

Wittener Str. 44-46

D-4227 7 Wuppertal

Pneumatic tube system

The invention relates to a pneumatic tube system with at least two pneumatic tube end stations that are connected to one another by a travel tube in which a pneumatic tube carrier can be conveyed back and forth between the two pneumatic tube end stations by means of a pneumatic transport drive system in a reversing mode, with one end station being provided for sample filling operations and the other for sample extraction operations and each having a control and supply unit and a work unit in which, in addition to a stationary position - receiving/sending - there are essentially two further stationary positions - opening/closing and - filling/emptying -, with the positions being arranged on a circular arc and which contains a rotating unit for pivoting the pneumatic tube carrier to the three positions in a circular arc.

The invention is directed to a pneumatic tube system preferably in heavy industry plants, in particular cement works, steel works or the like, in which material, in particular powdery, granular and other small-structured intermediate and end products in sample form can be automatically quickly analyzed and safely tested.

A pneumatic tube system with a pneumatic tube end station is known from DE-PS 21 39 593. In the end station there is a chamber in the form of a horizontally arranged pipe section made up of two half shells, an upper half shell and a lower half shell, about the length of a pneumatic tube carrier, whereby the lower half shell can be removed from the upper half shell to open the chamber, i.e. for the preferably manual insertion and removal of the pneumatic tube carrier. One longitudinal edge of the upper half shell is rotatably connected to a motor-driven pivot shaft mounted in a fixed position on the end station housing. The other longitudinal edge is also rotatably connected to the corresponding longitudinal edge of the lower half shell, whereby a downwardly extending guide arm is arranged on the lower half shell, the lower end of which is guided in fixed channels by means of guide edges.

In order to enable the pneumatic tube carrier to be transported, it is necessary to seal the chamber between the upper and lower shells in an airtight manner. An additional seal is provided between the chamber and the travel tube. The chamber is flanged on both sides with sealing sections on both sides.

A problem with the known pneumatic tube terminal station is that the construction of the sealed chamber with the housing door coupled to the swivel arm is material-intensive and costly.

Another problem is that the housing door must be opened when feeding or filling the pneumatic tube carrier with samples. When transporting the pneumatic tube carrier, it is necessary to place the chamber under pneumatic overpressure or underpressure depending on the transport direction of the pneumatic tube carrier. The process of removing or filling the pneumatic tube carrier is very time-consuming and delays the transport of the pneumatic tube carrier to the laboratory pneumatic tube end station.

A pneumatic tube system of this type for fine material samples is known from DE-OS 27 22 865, which has at least one pneumatic tube end station with a working unit for carrying out the operations: receiving, opening, filling, closing and sending a pneumatic tube carrier, as well as a pneumatic tube end station with a working unit for carrying out the operations: receiving, opening, emptying, closing and returning the pneumatic tube carrier to the first-mentioned pneumatic tube end station. Both pneumatic tube end stations are connected to one another by a travel tube in which the pneumatic tube carrier is transported by means of a single blower that can be switched to suction and pressure operation. The respective working unit contains a rotating unit with a swivel arm that can be swiveled back and forth over three stationary positions and has a carrier clamp in which the pneumatic tube carrier is held. In the rotating unit, the swivel arm is connected to a gear motor with a

Maltese cross gears are assigned, with proximity sensors, preferably proximity initiators, being provided for each stationary position as position feedback to a control and supply unit. Pneumatically raised and lowered pipe seals are provided both at the end of the travel tube and at the filling position marked by a sample guide tube to ensure air-tight and dust-tight sealing of the tubes and the sleeve pliers.

One problem with this work unit is that the travel tube is continued in the work unit and therefore both above and below the travel tube and on the sample guide tube, complicated and expensive pipe sealing devices are also installed, which seal the sleeve pliers in the swivel arm when the rotary unit is swiveled into the two stationary positions, but not directly the pneumatic tube sleeve, whereby the pipe sealing devices each represent a piston-cylinder system that can be operated with compressed air and consists of at least two parts that slide relative to each other. This high material and energy expenditure is necessary in order to both seal the swivel arm airtight on both sides of the travel tube and to at least achieve dust-free sealing in the filling position. The pneumatic operation of the pipe sealing devices requires time, which causes delays in the entire process.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a pneumatic tube system with a pneumatic tube terminal station, which contains a structurally suitable working unit in order to save material and effort for sealing the tubes in the stationary positions for handling the pneumatic tube carrier and to avoid delays in

to largely avoid the filling of the pneumatic tube carriers. It is also necessary to significantly reduce the energy losses in the pneumatic transport drive system of the pneumatic tube system.

The problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

The pneumatic tube terminal station according to the invention can preferably be operated automatically and under significantly more favorable safety conditions, since all three stationary positions can be pivoted and the pneumatic tube carrier can be operated perpendicular to the pivoting plane, preferably by pneumatic piston-cylinder systems in an operation-supporting manner.

The invention also opens up the possibility of the travel tube ending in the working unit and thus the pneumatic transport drive system being limited only to the travel tube leading to the working unit of a terminal station. The separate, one-sided piston-cylinder systems in the working unit eliminate the need for complicated tube sealing devices.

Advantageous further developments and embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The invention is explained in more detail using an embodiment and several drawings.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a pneumatic tube post end station according to the invention for filling a pneumatic tube carrier,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pneumatic tube terminal station according to the invention with associated pipe arrangement according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section along the line A-A in the pipe connection block of the pneumatic tube terminal station according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a section along the line B-B in the filling block of the pneumatic tube terminal station according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 a side view of a pneumatic tube carrier,

Fig. 6 is a side view of the pneumatic tube terminal station according to the invention according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of the pneumatic tube carrier according to Fig. 5 in a travel tube section in the cover removal device and

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the pneumatic tube terminal station according to the invention according to Fig. 1.

Fig. 1, 3, 4 are to be seen in direct connection. Fig. 1 shows a front view of a pneumatic tube terminal station

1 of a pneumatic tube system according to the invention. A pneumatic tube system usually contains at least two pneumatic tube end stations. The two pneumatic tube end stations are connected to each other by a travel tube 7 in which a pneumatic tube carrier

2 can be conveyed back and forth between the two pneumatic tube end stations by means of a pneumatic transport drive system in reversing operation, whereby one end station

Sample filling operations and the other for sample extraction operations and each have a control and supply unit 25 and a working unit 31. In Fig. 3,4 it is shown that the working unit 31 has a stationary position 13 -receive/send- on the end of the travel tube 7 and two further stationary positions 71 -open/close- on an end of the sample guide tube 3 and 72 -fill/empty- on a cover removal device 23, where the positions 13,71,72 are arranged on a circular arc 74, and furthermore contains a rotating unit 6 for pivoting the pneumatic tube carrier 2 in a circular arc-like manner to the respective location of the three stationary positions 13,71,72.

The pneumatic tube end station 1 according to the invention for filling samples represents both a receiving station for an empty pneumatic tube carrier 2 and a sending station for the pneumatic tube carrier 2 filled with sample material that is to be sent off.

A piston-cylinder system 10,4,53 with an outer locking piston 10 is arranged at an axial distance opposite the end of the travel tube 7, in which the separate travel tube section 5, which is eccentrically fastened in the rotary unit 6, is present in the stationary position 13 -receive/send- in such a way that the correspondingly dimensioned outer locking piston 10 can be moved through the travel tube section 5 to the travel tube 7 in an internally adapted manner and can be actuated in a controlled manner for the axial displacement of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 inside the tube (Fig. 1).

The working unit 31 and the control and supply unit 25 are enclosed by a common housing 54, which

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preferably cuboid-shaped, cabinet-like.

The working unit 31 contains an upper, horizontally directed pipe support plate 39 on four preferably round columns 35, 36, 37, 38 (Fig. 4) and a lower, approximately centrally fitted, also horizontal work plate 40. The four columns 35, 36, 37, 38 are preferably attached to the base plate 41 of the working unit 31. The pipe support plate 39 and the work plate 40 are preferably designed as rectangular plates which have largely the same shape and surface.

The pipe support plate 39 is the base of the pipe connection block 12. The work plate 40 is part of the filling block 19.

The pipe connection block 12 consists mainly of three vertical pipes, some of which are attached to the pipe support plate 39, preferably flanged, and some of which pass through the pipe support plate 39 and are continued through corresponding nozzles: firstly, the travel tube 7, in which the pneumatic tube carrier 2 can be transported in turning operation, secondly, the sample guide tube 3, and thirdly, an air tube 33, in which the drive medium required for transporting the pneumatic tube carrier 2 in the travel tube 7, preferably compressed air, is provided.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the housing 54, into which the three pipes 3, 7, 33 lead from above and a cable connection 3 from the control and supply unit 25 into the working unit 31.

In Figs. 1 and 3 it is shown that the air pipe 33 is connected to the end region of the travel tube 7 via a connecting channel 42, whereby the connecting channel 42 to the travel tube 7 has at least one air passage opening 55 or 56. The air pipe 33 is connected to a blower 30 and can be closed by a check valve, preferably a spring-supported check valve 29. The indicated arrow direction L shows the flow direction of the transport air from the blower 30.

The travel tube 7 ends below the tube support plate 39. Between the tube support plate 39 and the worktop 40 is the travel tube piece 5, which is connected to the worktop 40 essentially at a distance at the end via an upper and a lower, preferably plate-shaped swivel arm 44, 45 and preferably has the same inner diameter as the travel tube 7.

The piston cylinder system 10,4,53 in the stationary position 13 -receive/send- has a travel tube cylinder 24, which is flanged to the horizontal work plate 40 downwards towards the floor 41, the inner piston (not shown) of which is firmly connected via a piston rod 53 to a locking outer piston 10, which can be extended through the travel tube section 5 into the end area of the travel tube 7 when the travel tube 7, the travel tube section 5 and the travel tube cylinder 4 are arranged parallel to the axis in the adjustable, stationary position. The travel tube 7 and the travel tube cylinder 4 are attached at a distance from each other, while the travel tube section 5 can be placed at the specified distance and can be moved out of the

The stationary position 13 - receive/send - parallel to the axis can be pivoted temporarily into the stationary position 71 - open/close - and into the position 72 - fill/empty - for filling the pneumatic tube carrier 2 on the circular arc 74.

Preferably, a T-shaped pipe section 8 is installed in the travel tube 7 outside the pneumatic tube end station 1, which is provided with a spring-loaded non-return valve 9 associated with the T-longitudinal beam.

In Figs. 3 and 6 it is shown that a proximity sensor 11, in particular a proximity switch, is arranged on the travel tube 7, which reports the position of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 in the travel tube, whereby the blower 30 can be switched on to a suction air or compressed air generation state, depending on the type of turning operation, or can be switched off altogether.

In Fig. 4, a horizontal section B-B is shown in plan view across the filling block 19. The filling block 19 essentially includes the rotating unit 6, whose central axis of rotation 48 is vertically directed and eccentrically located on one of the center lines 43 of the worktop 40. The rotating unit 6, which is rotatably mounted in the worktop 40, can be pivoted through by an electric motor 14 attached below the worktop 40. The rotating unit 6 also has a rotatably mounted switching star 17 that can be moved by the electric motor 14 and two parallel, spaced-apart pivot arms 44 and 45, which are each connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner at their pivot point-related end area. The two pivot arms 44, 45 arranged one above the other are spaced apart from one another by a flanged pipe part 46.

wherein the vertical axis of the tubular part 46 represents the axis of rotation 48 of the rotating unit 6.

The travel tube 7 ends vertically in the pneumatic tube end station 1 in the filling block 19.

The travel tube section 5 is preferably held firmly at the top and bottom of the free end area of the swivel arms 44, 45. The rotary unit 6 also includes a switching disk 15 which is rotatably mounted next to the switching star 17 and which has two axially directed cam rollers 16 which are spaced apart on their diameter line at the edge area, of which at least one always engages in one of the twelve edge-side radial indentations 49 of the switching star 17. In particular, the switching star 17 is a rotary disk with preferably twelve slot-like indentations 49 which are directed radially towards the axis of rotation 48 and which are convexly rounded towards the axis of rotation 48. The switching star 17 thus has twelve jet elements 50, with a protruding cam roller 16 of the switching disk 15 engaging in a form-fitting manner in two adjacent indentations 49 which are separated by a jet element 50. This means that there is a beam element 50 on the switching star 17 between two adjacent recesses 49. This also means that when the switching star 17 is rotated by two beam elements 50, an angular rotation of 60° can be achieved, which can be achieved precisely by the specified switching star gear. When the switching disk 15 rotates, the switching star 17 is rotated by two beam elements 50, i.e. twice by an angle of 30°.

The longitudinal center axes of the travel tube 7, the sample guide tube 3 and the semicircular forks 21,70 of the cover discharge

Device 23 lie perpendicular to the worktop 40 on a circular arc 74, the center of which is located on the rotation axis 48 of the rotary unit 6, whose travel tube section 5 has a longitudinal center axis which moves on the same circular arc 74 when the travel tube section 5 is moved. In Fig. 3, 4, 6, the reference numerals 13, 71, 72 of the stationary positions of the tube sleeve 2 simultaneously indicate the longitudinal center axes, since both largely coincide when carrying out the respective associated operations.

Two proximity sensors 18 and 47, which are designed as proximity initiators, are attached to the worktop 40. The proximity sensor 18 is arranged in the area of the beam elements 50 between the switching star 17 and the worktop 40 and provides feedback on the position of the beam elements 50. The other proximity sensor 47 is placed in the area of the switching disk 15 in order to preferably report back its current rotational position.

The proximity sensors 18,47 thus inform the control unit 25 of the switching division of the beam elements 50 of the switching star 17. In addition to other measurement data, the switching position of the switching star 17, which can be changed by an angle of 30° or a multiple of 30°, and thus the location of the travel tube section 5 with the pneumatic tube carrier 2, can be displayed on a control panel 32 of the control and supply unit 25.

The travel tube section 5, which is fixed between the two swivel arms 44, 45 at their free end area, can thus be arranged by the rotating unit 6 exactly parallel to the axis under the travel tube 7 and above the travel tube cylinder 4 in the stationary position 13, so that an axial movement

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of the outer closure piston 10 of the travel tube cylinder 4 up to the end region of the travel tube 7 is possible.

In Fig. 5, the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is shown schematically in a side view. Since the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is transported pneumatically in the turning mode, it can preferably be constructed in the same way on the cover and base. The pneumatic tube carrier 2 essentially consists of a cover 20, a hollow cylindrical central body 60 and a base 59. The cover 20 and the base 59 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 can preferably change their assignments in the laboratory pneumatic tube terminal station, in which case the cover 20 and the base 59 are preferably designed in the same way and have a radial taper 63 or 64 below a cover plate 65 and above a base plate 66 for gripping underneath. The central body 60 has collars 61, 62 which are spaced apart from one another and which are directed towards the base or in the cover area. These collars are ring-shaped and, when the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is operated, they cling to the travel tube 7 or travel tube section 5 in such a way that, with a small amount of play between the collars 61, 62 and the inner diameter of the travel tube 7 and with the corresponding suction or compressed air from the blower 30, the pneumatic tube carrier 2 can be moved at high speed in the travel tube 7.

The cover 20 and the base 59 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 can thus preferably be removed from the central body 60 and can thus be reattached or re-inserted if they are brought into close contact. The areas above the cover sleeve 61 and below the base sleeve 62 are expediently designed to be smaller in diameter in order to avoid any pressure on the sleeves 62 during suction or compressed air operation.

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or 61 depending on the transport direction to generate the necessary thrust forces.

If the laboratory tube post end station is designed accordingly, the base 59 can also be firmly connected to the central body 60 and thus have a different shape than the cover 20 which can be moved relative to the central body 60.

A cable connection 34 leads from the control and supply unit 25, which contains in particular electrical supply lines, signal lines, and possibly air pressure lines, if a fan is housed in the supply unit 25. The supply lines are led, for example, to the electric motor, and the signal lines are connected to proximity sensors 11, 18, 47.

Fig. 6 shows a further side view in which the cover removal device 23 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is shown as a further stationary position 71. The cover removal device 23 essentially consists of a carrier holder 22, which is preferably attached to the worktop 40, and of a cover removal cylinder 24, which is located vertically opposite the carrier holder 22 and has an inner piston and an outer sample holder piston 68, the cover removal cylinder 24 and the carrier holder 22 being arranged at an angle of 60° to the travel tube 7 in an anti-clockwise direction and at an angle of 120° to the sample guide tube 3 (in Fig. 4). At the three stationary positions 13,71,72 in Fig. 6, a fixed piston-cylinder system 10,4,53;68,24,57,-73,26 with a controllable, operationally shaped outer piston 10,-68,-73 is provided in the pneumatic tube carrier axial direction.

which essentially acts in an axial direction in a supporting manner on the pneumatic tube carrier 2, which is held in a travel tube section 5 of the rotary unit 6 arranged separately downstream of the travel tube 7 in order to carry out predetermined operations.

In Fig. 7, the use of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 in the travel tube section 5 is shown in a stationary position 71 at the moment of removing the cover 20 from the central body 60 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2. The cover 20, which tapers radially from the outside to the inside below a cover plate 65, expediently protrudes partially over the upper edge 67 of the travel tube section 5 so that it can be removed without any problem, preferably by the cover removal device 23. The pneumatic tube carrier 2 always remains held in the travel tube section 5 during the settings in the three stationary positions 13, 71, 72.

The pneumatic tube carrier 2 is held in the travel tube section 5 in the stationary position 71 by the sleeve holder 22, which has a horizontally arranged, concave, plate-like semi-circular fork 21, which is dimensioned in a plate-like cross-section such that it can be fitted into a holding slot 51 in the wall of the travel tube section 5 when the travel tube section 5 is rotated by the rotating unit 6 by an angle of 60° in an anti-clockwise direction, thus locking the pneumatic tube carrier 2 in the travel tube section 5. The inner wall of the semi-circular fork 21 surrounds the outer wall of the central body 60 in a form-fitting manner, preferably at least halfway, and rests on the broad side, preferably on the base sleeve 62, in order to give the pneumatic tube carrier 2 a hold when the cover 20 is removed and put on. The cover removal cylinder 24 has a piston rod 57, the end of which is connected to the outside of the cylinder 24,

piston-like cover puller 68, which preferably consists of a gripping arm 69 gripping the cover plate 65 and a semi-circular fork 70 fitting into the cover radial taper 63.

In the sample guide tube 3, which is preferably arranged at an angle of 60° clockwise from the travel tube 7, a dosing device 28 is structurally arranged outside, preferably above the housing 54, with which a quantity or volume of the sample material can be specified and filled (Fig. 6). The sample guide tube 3 is preferably flanged onto the tube holding plate 39 and continues through the tube holding plate 39 as a sample guide tube socket 58, to which a preferably elastic sealing ring 27 is attached, in particular glued, on the underside.

The sample tube cylinder 26, which is mounted in the worktop 40, is located vertically opposite the sample guide tube socket 58.

The rotary unit 6 pivots from the stationary position 71 of the cover removal device 23 into the stationary position 72 of the sample guide tube 3, preferably by an angle of 120° clockwise under the sample guide tube socket 58, so that the sample cylinder 26 arranged opposite the socket 58 can axially displace its external sample holder piston 73, which touches the base plate 66 and presses the opened pneumatic tube carrier 2 upwards against the sealing ring 27 of the sample guide tube socket 58, sealing it.

In Fig. 8 a rear view of Fig. 1 is shown without a pneumatic tube carrier 2 being present in the end station 1. The

ujthe DC gear motor

Electric motor 14, which is designed in particular as a three-phase gear motor, has a connected gear part 52 (also in Fig. 4) which is connected to the switching disk 15. When the three-phase gear motor 14 is switched in a correspondingly controlled manner, the gear part 52 rotates the switching disk 15 clockwise or counterclockwise. For example, the travel tube section 5 is pivoted from the travel tube 7 to the sample guide tube 3 when the switching disk 15 is rotated counterclockwise, and to the cover removal device 23 when the switching disk 15 is rotated clockwise.

The following describes the functionality of the pneumatic tube end station 1 according to the invention for filling the pneumatic tube carrier 2 with sample material:

In the pneumatic tube end station 1, the empty pneumatic tube carrier 2 coming from the laboratory pneumatic tube end station is preferably automatically received in the three stationary positions 13, 71, 72, 71, 13 in this order, opened, filled with the sample, closed again and sent back. The empty pneumatic tube carrier 2 can be transported from the laboratory pneumatic tube end station to the receiving pneumatic tube end station 1 by means of a blower 30 in suction air mode. The sample material is fed into the pneumatic tube carrier 2 by taking a sample using a sample guide tube 3, the dimensions of which depend on the properties and flow rate of the material to be sampled.

In order to receive the pneumatic tube carrier 2, the travel tube section is brought into position 13 and the outer piston 10 of the travel tube cylinder 4 is pushed through the travel tube section 5 of the rotary unit 6 into the end interior of the travel tube 7

moved and the travel tube 7 is closed. The air pushed in front of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 can escape through the check valve 9 in the T-shaped pipe section 8 outside the pneumatic tube station 1 if the blower 30 is not installed in suction air mode but as a blower in or on the laboratory pneumatic tube station and works from there in compressed air mode. After passing the T-shaped pipe section 8, an air cushion forms between the base 59 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 and the outer closure piston 10 closing the travel tube 7. This slows down the pneumatic tube carrier 2 and gently retracts it into the end area of the travel tube 7.

The proximity sensor 11 installed on the travel tube 7 in the tube connection block 12 reports the arrival of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 in the end area of the travel tube 7 to the control and supply unit 25. After the pneumatic tube carrier 2 has rested on the outer piston 10, the piston moves back with the pneumatic tube carrier 2 into the travel tube section 5 of the rotating unit 6.

The pneumatic tube carrier 2 remains in the travel tube section 5 during filling until it is sent again to the laboratory pneumatic tube end station. The outer closure piston 10 is expediently withdrawn from the lower end region of the travel tube section 5 before the travel tube section 5 is pivoted.
The rotary unit 6 is moved by the three-phase gear motor 14 and the switching disk 15 with the two spaced cam rollers 16, which engage in the switching star 17 and can rotate the switching star 17 according to the signal. The control and detection of the exact position of the switching star 17 and thus of the rotary unit 6 is carried out by the proximity sensors 18 attached to the worktop 40 and a

Coding system assigned to the switching star 17 in the control and supply unit 25.

To remove the cover 20 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2, the rotary unit 6 pivots 60° anti-clockwise into the stationary position 71, the cover removal position, and guides the holding slot 51 of the travel tube section 5 with the pneumatic tube carrier 2 contained therein into the concave semi-circular fork 21 of the carrier holder 22. By locking the semi-circular fork 21 on the base sleeve 62, the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is held firmly upwards in the removal direction. The cover 20 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 can then be removed from the semi-circular fork 70 of the piston-like cover puller 68, which is connected to the inner piston (not shown) of the cover removal cylinder 24 via the piston rod 57.

The piston-like cover puller 68 moves back into the cover removal cylinder 24 and thereby removes the cover 20 from the fixed pneumatic tube carrier 2. Preferably, the cover removal cylinder 24, like all cylinders of the other piston-cylinder systems of the filling block 19, is also designed as a double-acting cylinder.

The rotary unit 6 pivots clockwise through an angle of 120° into the third stationary position 72 -filling/emptying- under the sample guide tube socket 58. The sample holder piston 73 of the sample tube cylinder 26 extends, touches the base plate 66 of the pneumatic tube sleeve 2 and presses the opened pneumatic tube sleeve 2 upwards against the preferably elastic sealing ring 27 of the sample guide tube socket 58. The dosing device 28 fills after

Signal instruction the pneumatic tube carrier 2 with the required amount of sample material. The pressure of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 against the sealing ring 27 ensures a secure seal.

After filling the pneumatic tube carrier 2, the inner piston of the sample tube cylinder 26 moves the sample holder piston 73 back to its starting position.

The rotary unit 6 pivots from the third stationary position 72 by an angle of 120° counterclockwise into the second stationary position 71 - closing/opening - back into the concave semicircular fork 21 of the can holder 22.

The piston-like cover puller 23 of the cover puller cylinder 24 moves with the held cover 20 vertically downwards in the direction of the open pneumatic tube carrier 2, fits the cover 20 onto the pneumatic tube carrier 2 and closes it.

The rotating unit 6 pivots clockwise through an angle of 60° into the first stationary position 13 -send/receive- and brings the travel tube section 5 with the closed pneumatic tube carrier 2 under the end area of the travel tube 7.

The outer piston 10 of the travel tube cylinder 4 extends and pushes the pneumatic tube carrier 2 axially out of the travel tube section 5 into the travel tube 7.

The proximity sensor or switch 11 on the travel tube 7 reports the re-entry of the pneumatic tube carrier 2, whereby the blower 30 is switched on and the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is transported in the direction of the laboratory pneumatic tube end station by means of compressed air.

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The required transport air is supplied by means of the blower 30 past the check valve 29 and through the connecting channel 42 to the end area of the travel tube 7 via the air openings 55, 56. The air flows into the travel tube 7 between the outer closure piston 10 and the bottom 59 of the pneumatic tube carrier 2 and pushes the pneumatic tube carrier 2 away from the outer closure piston 10 through the travel tube 7. The travel tube 7 is thus operated by the pneumatic drive system, preferably the blower 30 in the reversing mode according to the transport direction of the pneumatic tube carrier 2. The outer closure piston 10 preferably closes the travel tube 7 until the filled pneumatic tube carrier 2 arrives at the laboratory pneumatic tube end station.

The pneumatic tube end station 1 according to the invention has a simple and robust mechanism. The arrangement of the individual components of the end station 1 and their accessibility make the end station 1 easy to maintain. The pneumatic turning drive principle allows precise positioning without great control effort. Availability is significantly increased compared to the previously known technology.

Essentially, the laboratory pneumatic tube terminal station is constructed in the same way as the pneumatic tube terminal station described for filling pneumatic tube carriers. After opening the pneumatic tube carrier, e.g. by removing the base 59 or the cover 20, the pneumatic tube carrier 2 is expediently taken out or removed from a section of laboratory transport tube and the sample material is fed into a laboratory sample guide tube.

The invention has the advantage that the process in the entire pneumatic tube system can be controlled automatically and that significantly less material expenditure is required with regard to the sealing of the

Travel tube section 5 must be operated in all three stationary positions 13,71, 72.

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List of reference symbols

1 pneumatic tube terminal station

2 pneumatic tube boxes

3 Sample guide tube

4 travel tube cylinders

5 Driving tube section

6 Turning unit

7 Driving tube

8 T-shaped pipe section

9 Check valve

10 outer piston

11 Proximity sensor

12 Pipe connection block

13 stationary position

14 Electric motor

15 Switch disc

16 cam rollers

17 Shift star

18 Proximity sensor

19 filling block _;

20 lids

21 Half-round fork

22 rifle holders

23 Lid removal device

24 Lid removal cylinders

25 Control and supply unit

26 sample tube cylinders

27 Sealing ring

28 Dosing device

29 Check valve

30 blowers

31 work unit

32 Operating terminal

33 Air pipe

34 Cable connection

35 Pillar

36 Pillar

37 Pillar

38 Pillar

39 Pipe support plate

40 Worktop

41 Floor panel

42 connecting channel

43 Center line

44 lower swivel arm

45 upper swivel arm

46 Pipe part

47 Proximity sensor

48 Rotation axis

49 indentation

50 Beam element

51 Holding slot

52 Gearbox

53 Piston rod

54 Housing

55 Air opening

56 Air opening

57 Piston rod

58 Sample guide tube socket

59 Floor

60 Center Body

61 Lid cuff

62 Floor cuff

63 Radial taper

64 Radial taper

65 Cover plate

66 Base plate

67 Top edge

68 piston-type lid puller

69 gripping arm

70 Half-round fork

71 stationary position

72 stationary position

73 Sample holder flask

74 circular arcs

L Transport air direction

Claims (35)

Expectations 1. Pneumatic tube system with at least two pneumatic tube end stations which are connected to one another by a travel tube in which a pneumatic tube carrier can be conveyed back and forth between the two pneumatic tube end stations by means of a pneumatic transport drive system in a reversing operation, one end station being provided for sample filling operations and the other for sample removal operations and each having a control and supply unit and a work unit in which, in addition to a stationary position - receiving/sending - there are essentially two further stationary positions - opening/closing and - filling/emptying -, the positions being arranged on a circular arc, and which contains a rotating unit for pivoting the pneumatic tube carrier to the three positions in a circular arc,
characterized, that at the three stationary positions (13,71,72) in the axial direction of the pneumatic tube carrier, a fixed piston-cylinder system (10,4,53;68,24,57;73,26) is provided with a controllable, operationally shaped outer piston (10;68;73), which acts in the axial direction on the pneumatic tube carrier (2) to support the operation, which is held in a travel tube section (5) of the rotary unit (6) arranged separately downstream of the travel tube (7). 2. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 1, characterized in that the piston-cylinder system (10,4,53) with the outer closure piston (10) is arranged opposite the end of the travel tube (7) at an axial distance away, in which the separate travel tube section (5) fastened eccentrically in the rotary unit (6) can be set in the stationary position (13) - receive/send - in such a way that the correspondingly dimensioned outer closure piston (10) can be moved through the travel tube section (5) to the travel tube (7) in an internally adapted manner and can be actuated in a controlled manner for the axial displacement of the pneumatic tube carrier (2) inside the tube in the travel tube section (5). 3. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that in the tube end area inside the travel tube (7) an air cushion-like braking for the incoming pneumatic tube carrier (2) is present when the outer piston (10) of the piston-cylinder system (10,4,53) reaches the end of the travel tube (7) closes. 4. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the working unit (31) and the control and supply unit (25) are surrounded by a common housing (54), which is preferably cuboid-shaped and designed like a cabinet. 5. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the working unit (31) has an upper, horizontally directed pipe support plate (39) and a lower, approximately centrally fitted, also horizontal work plate (40), wherein the four columns (35,36,37,38) are preferably attached to the base plate (41) of the work unit (31). 6. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the pipe support plate (39) is the base of a pipe connection block (12), which mainly consists of three pipes directed perpendicular to one another, some of which are fastened to the pipe support plate (39), preferably flanged, and some of which pass through the pipe support plate (39) and are continued through corresponding nozzles: firstly, the travel pipe (7), in which the pneumatic tube carrier (2) can be transported in turning operation, secondly, a sample guide pipe (3) and thirdly, an air pipe (33), in which the drive medium required for transporting the pneumatic tube carrier (2), preferably compressed air, is provided. 7. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the longitudinal center axes of the travel tube (7), the sample guide tube (3) and semicircular forks (21,70) of a cover removal device (23) lie perpendicular to the worktop (40) on a circular arc (74), the center of which is located on the axis of rotation (48) of the rotary unit (6), the travel tube section (5) of which has a longitudinal center axis which moves on the same circular arc (74) when the travel tube section (5) is moved, the longitudinal center axes in :V\ essentially coincide with the stationary positions (13,71,72). 8. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the travel tube (7) ends vertically in the pneumatic tube end station (1) in the filling block (19). 9. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the air pipe (33) is connected via a connecting channel (42) to the lower end region of the travel tube (7), wherein the connecting channel (42) to the travel tube (7) has at least one air passage opening (55 or 56) and is connected to a blower (30) and can be closed by a check valve, preferably a spring-supported check flap (29). 10. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the travel tube section (5) of the rotary unit (6) is connected to a rotatably mounted switching star (17) of the work plate (40) at least via a rotatably mounted swivel arm (44; 45), preferably via an upper and a lower swivel arm (44, 45) which are spaced apart from one another by a tube part (46), and preferably has the same inner diameter as the travel tube (7). 11. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the piston-cylinder system (4,10,53) in the stationary Position (13) of the travel tube (7) has a travel tube cylinder (4) which is flanged downwards to the horizontal work plate (40), the inner piston of which is firmly connected via a piston rod (53) to a locking outer piston (10) which extends through the travel tube section (5) to the lower end region of the travel tube (7), when the travel tube (7), the travel tube section (5) and the travel tube cylinder (4) are arranged in alignment parallel to the axis, the travel tube (7) and the travel tube cylinder (4) being firmly positioned relative to one another. 12. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that outside the pneumatic tube end station (1) a T-shaped pipe section (8) is installed in the travel tube (7), which is provided with a spring-loaded non-return valve (9) associated with the T-longitudinal beam. 13. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that a proximity sensor (11), in particular a proximity switch is arranged on the travel tube (7), which reports the position of the pneumatic tube carrier (2) in the travel tube, whereby the blower (30) can be switched on or off in a suction air or compressed air generation state depending on the type of turning operation. 14. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the rotary unit (6), whose central axis of rotation (48) preferably lies eccentrically on one of the center lines (43) in the worktop (40), is supported by a the electric motor (14) attached to the worktop (40) can be pivoted completely. 15. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the rotary unit (6) essentially consists of a rotatably mounted switching star (17) that can be moved by the electric motor (14) and of two parallel pivot arms (44, 45), which are each connected in a rotationally fixed manner at their end region assigned to the pivot point by a flanged pipe part (46) at a distance from one another. 16. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the travel tube section (5) is preferably firmly held at the top and bottom of the free end region of the swivel arms (44, 45). 17. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that a switching disc rotatably mounted outside the rotation axis (48) of the switching star (17) is connected to the rotating unit (6) (15) which axially directs two cam rollers spaced apart on their diameter line at the edge area (16), of which at least one always engages in one of the twelve edge-side, radial indentations (49) of the switching star (17). 18. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the switching star (17) is essentially a rotary disk with preferably twelve radially to the axis of rotation (48) directed, slot-like indentations (49) which are convexly rounded towards the axis of rotation (48) and has twelve radially formed beam elements (50), whereby a vertically projecting cam roller (16) of the switching disk (15) engages in a form-fitting manner in two adjacent indentations (49). 19. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that two proximity sensors (18,47), in particular proximity initiators, are attached to the worktop (40), one proximity sensor (18) for indicating the position of the beam elements (50) being arranged in the area of the beam elements (50) between the switching star (17) and the worktop (40) and the other proximity sensor (Al) for momentarily indicating the rotational position of the switching disk (15) being placed in the area on the switching disk (15) to the worktop (40). 20. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the proximity sensors (18,47) of the control unit (25) communicate the switching position of the beam elements (50) of the switching star (17), whereby the switching position of the switching star (17), which can be changed by an angle of 30° or a multiple of 30°, and thus the location of the travel tube section (5) with the pneumatic tube carrier (2) can be displayed on a control panel (32) of the control and supply unit (25). 21. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the pneumatically transported pneumatic tube carrier (2) in the turning operation is preferably structurally identical on the cover and base and essentially consists of a cover (20), a hollow cylindrical central body (60) and a base (59), the central body (60) has a sleeve (61,62) in the direction of the cover (20) and the base (59). 22. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the cover (20) and the base (59) of the pneumatic tube carrier (2) are preferably of uniform design and each have a radial taper (63 or 64) below a cover plate (65) and above a base plate (66), and the central body (60) has spaced-apart annular sleeves (61, 62) in the base and cover areas, which fit snugly against the travel tube (7) or travel tube section (5) in such a way that, with little play and the presence of suction air or compressed air from the blower (30), the pneumatic tube carrier (2) can be moved at high speed in the travel tube (7). 23. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the pneumatic tube carrier areas above the cover sleeve (61) and under the base sleeve (62) are slightly smaller in diameter so that in suction or compressed air operation the necessary forces can be exerted on the sleeves (62;61) depending on the transport direction. 24. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the base (59) of the pneumatic tube carrier (2) is firmly connected to the central body (60) and has a different shape than the cover (20), which is displaceable relative to the central body (60). 25. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the cover removal device (23) consists essentially of a can holder (22), which is preferably attached to the worktop (40), and of a cover removal cylinder (24) with an inner piston and an outer piston (68) arranged vertically opposite the can holder (22), wherein in particular the cover removal cylinder (24) and the can holder (22) are arranged at an angle of 60° to the travel tube (7) counterclockwise and at an angle of 120° counterclockwise to the sample guide tube (3). 26. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the lid removal cylinder (24) has a piston rod (57) which is connected at the end to the outer piston, preferably a piston-like lid puller (68), which preferably consists of a gripping arm (69) which grasps the lid plate (65) and a concave semicircular fork (70) which fits into a lid radial taper (63). 27. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the pneumatic tube carrier (2) is held in the travel tube section (5) in such a way that the cover (20) is above the upper edge (67) of the travel tube section (5) so that the cover (20) can be grasped by the cover removal device (23) from underneath. 28. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that in the stationary position (71) -opening/closing- on the cover removal device (23) the holder of the pneumatic tube carrier (2) in the travel tube section (5) of the carrier holder (22) which has a concave, plate-like semicircular fork (21) which is dimensioned in such a way that it can be fitted into a retaining slot (51) in the wall of the travel tube section (5) when the travel tube section (5) is rotated by an angle of approximately 60° in an anti-clockwise direction and thus the pneumatic tube carrier (2) is locked in the travel tube section (5). 29. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the inner wall of the concave semicircular fork (21) preferably surrounds at least half of the outer wall of the central body (60) in a form-fitting manner and rests on the base sleeve (62) with a broad side abutting against it, so that the cover (20) can be displaced relative to the central body (60) of the pneumatic tube carrier (2). 30. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that in the sample feed pipe (3), which is preferably arranged at an angle of 60° clockwise from the travel pipe (7), a - 11 - Dosing device (28) with which the amount of sample material can be filled in a predetermined manner. 31. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the dosing device (28) is designed in such a way that it fills the pneumatic tube carrier (2) with the required amount of sample material after a signal instruction. 32. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the sample guide tube (3) is continued through the tube holding plate (39) as a nozzle (58), on the underside of which there is preferably an elastic sealing ring (27). 33. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that a fixed sample tube cylinder (26) is located vertically opposite the sample guide tube socket (58) in the tube support plate (39) and at a distance in the work plate (40), the sample holder piston (73) of which can be pushed into the travel tube section (5) to support the pneumatic tube carrier (2) when the travel tube section (5) is pivoted into the associated stationary position (72) - filling/emptying. 34. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the rotating unit (6) from the stationary position (71) -opening/closing- of the lid removal device (23) into the stationary position (72) -filling/emptying- of the - 12 - Sample guide tube (3) preferably pivots clockwise by an angle of 120° under the sample guide tube socket (58), so that the sample cylinder (26) arranged opposite the socket (58) can axially displace its sample holder piston (73), which touches the base plate (66) and presses the opened pneumatic tube sleeve (2) upwards against the sealing ring (27) of the sample guide tube socket (58) in a sealing manner. 35. Pneumatic tube system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the electric motor (14), which is designed in particular as a three-phase gear motor, has a gear part (52) which is connected to the switching disc (15), whereby with appropriate controlled switching of the three-phase gear motor (14), the gear part (52) rotates the switching disc (15) clockwise or counterclockwise.