EP0029318B1 - Porte-tubes pour centrifugeuse - Google Patents

Porte-tubes pour centrifugeuse Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0029318B1
EP0029318B1 EP19800303902 EP80303902A EP0029318B1 EP 0029318 B1 EP0029318 B1 EP 0029318B1 EP 19800303902 EP19800303902 EP 19800303902 EP 80303902 A EP80303902 A EP 80303902A EP 0029318 B1 EP0029318 B1 EP 0029318B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
rotor
tube
centrifuge
holder
tubes
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
EP19800303902
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0029318A1 (fr
Inventor
Mark Joseph Cowell
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.)
Beckman Coulter Inc
Original Assignee
Beckman Instruments 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 US06/093,725 external-priority patent/US4295601A/en
Priority claimed from US06/114,876 external-priority patent/US4301964A/en
Application filed by Beckman Instruments Inc filed Critical Beckman Instruments Inc
Publication of EP0029318A1 publication Critical patent/EP0029318A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0029318B1 publication Critical patent/EP0029318B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04B—CENTRIFUGES
    • B04B5/00—Other centrifuges
    • B04B5/04—Radial chamber apparatus for separating predominantly liquid mixtures, e.g. butyrometers
    • B04B5/0407—Radial chamber apparatus for separating predominantly liquid mixtures, e.g. butyrometers for liquids contained in receptacles
    • B04B5/0414—Radial chamber apparatus for separating predominantly liquid mixtures, e.g. butyrometers for liquids contained in receptacles comprising test tubes

Definitions

  • the present invention is directed to a centrifuge tube holder designed to carry a plurality of small volume tubes within a centrifuge rotor and designed to permit the tubes to pivot from an inclined angle when the rotor is at rest to a horizontal orientation when the rotor is operational.
  • the tubes be generally free to move between the horizontal and the inclined position depending upon the speed of the centrifuge. Otherwise, the tubes may become askew or caught in the improper position.
  • One reason for problems in this area has been the lack of provision of a proper pivot edge in the holder upon which the tube can rotate or pivot as the centrifuge moves from the rest position to the full operational speed.
  • the pivot area is important with respect to the movement of the tube from the operational speed to the rest position.
  • the invention thus relates to a centrifuge tube holder having an elongated panel for placement in a rotor parallel with the rotor spin axis and having at least one aperture through the panel for receipt of a centrifuge tube, the panel having a front surface and a back surface.
  • the invention meets the above problems by means of a first semicircular portion of the aperture tapered from the front surface towards the back surface and a second semicircular portion of the aperture tapered from the back surface towards the front surface, the first and second semicircular tapered portions being on opposite halves of the aperture, the tapered portions facing each other within the aperture so that the tube will assume an inclined orientation parallel with the second tapered portion when placed in the aperture when the rotor is at rest ( Figure 14), the tube pivoting 'within the panel to a position ( Figure 13) perpendicular to rotor spin axis when the rotor is operating.
  • the tubes assume an inclined angle with respect to the horizontal when the centrifuge rotor is at rest, but automatically pivot to the horizontal direction when the centrifuge rotor is at operational speed.
  • the present invention allows for the free pivot-' ing or movement of the small volume tubes as the rotor is moving from its rest position to full operational speed, as well as when the rotor is moving from its full operational speed to its rest position.
  • An important feature to the present invention to enhance this proper pivotal movement of the tube is the utilization of a built-in pivot edge which acts as a pivot for the tube and operates in conjunction with centrifugal forces to promote the proper movement of the tube to its correct and specific support location.
  • the support area for the tube when in the aperture of the tube holder is greatly increased over the designs of previous tube holders or adapter plates for small volume centrifugal tubes.
  • the support area found on the present invention is over 180° of the support collar on the tube. This is extremely important in that it provides more distribution in the support of the tube during centrifugation and tends to prevent any extrusion or deformity in the tube caused by the centrifugal forces during centrifugation.
  • the tube holder provides support for the tubes when placed in a centrifuge rotor in such a manner that each of at least two tubes have different radial angles with respect to the spin axis of the rotor, and also provides vertical support for the tubes when placed on a work-bench.
  • the racks utilized for holding centrifuge tubes while placed on a table top or work bench have a different configuration than the frame utilized for supporting the centrifuge tubes within the rotor during centrifugation.
  • These different configurations necessitate the physical removal of the tube from the tube rack to the support mechanism in the rotor.
  • the movement of the centrifuge tubes especially after the centrifugation run has been completed is undesirable, because it is preferable to impart the least motion or disturbance to the centrifugated sample as possible. Otherwise, the disturbance to the centrifugated sample may be such that the sample may become remixed, rendering it unusable for the purpose intended.
  • US-A-3 891 140 utilizes a tube rack which is capable of placement directly in a centrifuge.
  • significant modification is necessary for the rotor structure to accommodate the tube rack. Therefore, the rotor must be specifically adapted to handle the particular tube rack construction.
  • centrifuge tube racks or holders that are placed in rotors
  • a separate rack is required for each row of centrifuge tubes to provide the necessary radial or angular orientation with respect to the spin axis in the case of a fixed horizontal tube rotor. This results in a limitation in most instances of the number of centrifuge tubes that can be placed in the rotor in the horizontal orientation.
  • centrifuge tube holders or racks One distinct disadvantage of most prior art centrifuge tube holders or racks is the tight fit into which the centrifuge tube is placed in the aperture or receptacle portion of the holder. This is required in order to hold the centrifuge tube securely within the rack or holder and prevent the loss of the tube from the rack or holder when the rack or holder is inverted. Therefore, because of this tight fit, the tube is difficult to insert and remove and may cause a jarring or disturbance to the centrifugated sample when trying to remove the tube containing the sample.
  • the preferred embodiment of the present invention therefore comprises two separate centrifuge tube holder sections that are pivotally connected in such a manner that the tubes are vertically supported when the holder is placed on a table top or work-bench and horizontally supported when placed in a rotor.
  • the tubes When placed in the rotor at least two of the tubes can be oriented at different radial angles with respect to each other in the direction of the spin axis of the rotor.
  • the present holder provides the complete support for the centrifuge tube when placed in a rotor, so that no additional support apparatus is required for placement within the rotor during centrifugation of the sample carrying tubes.
  • the tube holder also preferably incorporates a biasing or locking feature which automatically secures the tubes tightly within the holder when the two sections are held in such a manner that they are forced toward each other.
  • the locking feature of the holding device releases its contact on the tubes and permits easier insertion and removal of the tubes from the holder.
  • the design of the tube holder is such that a maximum plurality of centrifuge tubes can be placed within a rotor of a given size.
  • the preferred embodiment allows for the decanting of the tubes easily without rehandling them. In other words, it is not necessary to remove the tube for decanting if desirable.
  • the two pivotal sections are frame-like members which have their end portions exposed to permit visual observation of the tubes being filled.
  • the preferred tube holder provides for at least two rows of centrifuge tubes in one holder which has a pivoting capability so that each row of test tubes is properly aligned with the force field.
  • Other centrifuge tube holders having more than one row of tubes do not have each row properly aligned with the force field.
  • the tube holders can be removed from the bowl rotor and allow for the efficient and easy cleaning of the interior of the bowl. This is very important with respect to the ability to efficiently use the centrifuge rotor which would require a minimum of time for cleaning between centrifugation runs when necessary.
  • a holder device 10 is shown in Figure 1 having two pivotal tube support sections 12 and 14 which are mounted on a central support member 16.
  • Each of the pivotal members 12 and 14 have a support surface 18 and 20, respectively, which contain tube holding apertures 22 into which centrifuge tubes 23 are placed, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
  • the present invention relates to a particular form for the apertures 22, which is discussed in detail below.
  • the pivotal portions 12 and 14 have respective leg members 24 and 26 which provide support when the tube rack holder is placed on a workbench or placed in a centrifuge rotor.
  • each of the pivoting support or receptacle portions 12 and 14 have slightly inclined bearing surfaces 28 and 30 which are designed to rest on the top curved surface 32 of the center support member 16 when the pivoting members 12 and 14 are pivoted outwardly as shown in Figure 4. Therefore, the surfaces 28 and 30 will bear a significant amount of the forces of the pivot sections 12 and 14 during centrifugation. Consequently, the means for pivotally connecting the pivotal members 12 and 14 to the central support 16 will not have to bear a significant portion of the load during centrifugation.
  • pivotally attaching each of the pivotal portions 12 and 14 to the central portion 16 could be the use of the detent arrangement having a spherical protruding portion 34 on the central support member 16 and a recessed mating portion or area 36 on the connecting arms 38 on each of the pivotal members 12 and 14. It should be noted, however, that other means could be utilized to provide the pivoting of the moving sections 12 and 14 to the central portion 16. These means could utilize a continuous bar throughout the length of the central section 16 or the use of pivoting bolts or screws, etc.
  • the holder device 10 can be placed on a work- bench or table top 43 with the support legs of portions 24 and 26 oriented in a somewhat parallel orientation with the central portion 16 to vertically support the centrifuge tubes.
  • the entire device is placed within a centrifuge rotor 44 as shown in Figure 2 wherein the bottom edges 46 and 48 of the support sections 12 and 14 contact the interior side surface 50 of the rotor 44.
  • the bottom edge 52 of the central member 16 is in contact with the interior side surface 50 of the rotor. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, the holder device is placed into the rotor on end so that the tubes will assume a horizontal orientation.
  • all the leg portions 24 and 26 of the pivoting areas or portions 12 and 14 along with the central portion 16 provide support to the tubes during centrifugation.
  • the pivoting portions 12 and 14 are oriented as shown in Figure 2 with a pivot of approximately 15° with respect to the longitudinal center lines 54 of the centrifuge tubes 23. This permits each of the tubes to be properly oriented with the spin axis and force field during centrifugation. As previously discussed with respect to Figure 4, the bearing surfaces 28 and 30 of the support portions 12 and 14 on the central support will assume a significant amount of the load, reducing the forces on the pivotal connections between the pivoting sections 12 and 14 of the support member 16.
  • the general configuration of the rotor 44 is shown in Figure 7 having essentially a bowl shape or hollow interior into which the holder devices 10 are placed. As previously explained with respect to Figure 2, the bottom edges 46 and 48 of the support sections 12 and 14 contact the interior side surface 50 of the rotor. The interior of the rotor is essentially smooth on its side interior surface 50. At the center of the rotor is a connection post 62 into which a cover, not shown, is secured after the insertion and balancing of the holder members 10 with the centrifuge tubes. This cover is necessary in order to provide a smooth exterior surface to the rotor to eliminate potential air friction which would otherwise occur during the operation of the rotor.
  • a support member or spacer 64 as shown in Figure 6 is mounted on the center post 62 in the interior of the rotor.
  • the spacer 64 has a central ring portion 66 designed to receive the center post 62 of the rotor. Extending from the center ring portion 66 are a plurality of divider members 70 which are designed to position and properly space the tube holders within the bowl rotor 44 of Figure 6.
  • FIG. 7 showing the spacer 64 within the bowl rotor 44 with a single tube holder 10 showing its general orientation with respect to the interior side surface 50 of the rotor 44.
  • the spacer divider members 70 provide the proper orientation and placement of each of the tube holders in a properly balanced corresponding location around the circumference of the rotor 44.
  • the entire holder assembly 10 can be removed from the rotor 44 and placed on a workbench 43 shown in Figure 3 wherein the holder acts as a support means for the tubes subsequent to centrifugation. Also, it may be desirable to decant the solution from each of the tubes and to leave the remaining pellet for later analysis. By simply grasping the pivoting sections 12 and 14 and moving them toward each other, the locking or bearing surfaces 40 and 42 on the central portion will hold the tubes securely within the holder and allow for the inversion of the holder to remove the unwanted solution.
  • the interior of the bowl rotor is essentially smooth and free of any projections, except for the spacer so that any necessary cleaning of the interior of the rotor can be accomplished with ease. Typically, it is necessary in the case of any possible leakage of one of the tube samples that the interior to be cleansed before the next centrifugation run.
  • the apertures for holding the tubes are of a particular form, as will now be described with reference to Figures 8-14.
  • Two support sections 113 and 114 are pivotally connected to a central support 116.
  • the centrifuge tubes are placed in a plurality of holes 118 in the top portions or panels 120 and 122 of the respective support sections 113 and 114.
  • the combination of the central support 116. and the two support sections 113 and 114 carry and support centrifuge tube when in the rotor and when on the work table in the manner described above.
  • the holder 111 in Figure 8 has a plurality of apertures 118, each of which is designed to receive a small volume centrifuge tube designed to hold approximately 1.5 ml. As shown with respect to Figure 10, the holder 111 has a relatively small depth of thickness and is preferably made of hard plastic-type material.
  • a generally semicircular tapered area 124 is formed at the upper edge 126 of each of the apertures 118 with respect to Figures 8 and 10. This tapered portion extends from the front surfaces 121 and 123 of the panels 120 and 122, respectively, to the upper edge 126 of each of the apertures.
  • the taper as shown in Figure 10 is approximately 45° with respect to the horizontal reference A.
  • a generally semicircular tapered portion 134 for each of the apertures 118 is located on the back surfaces 130 and 131 of the panels 120 and 122 and extends from the back surface 130 of the holder to the ledge portion 138 of each of the apertures 118.
  • the incline with respect to the tapered area 134 on the back surface 130 of the panel 120 is approximately 30° with respect to the horizontal B as shown in Figure 10.
  • Each of the apertures has an upper horizontal area or edge 126 and a lower horizontal area or ledge portion 138.
  • a centrifuge tube 140 with its support collar 142 and cap portion 144 is inserted into one of the apertures 118 within the holder 111.
  • the tube will orient at approximately 30° with respect to the horizontal, since the side surface 146 of the tube 140 witf be oriented with the lower tapered portion 134 in the aperture 118.
  • the tube 40 will pivot to the horizontal position shown in Figure 13.
  • the upper horizontal surface 126 within each of the apertures 118 will provide a pivot edge around which a tube will pivot to automatically find its proper support orientation for the collar 142 of the tube.
  • the shoulder area 148 of the collar 142 will find support on the front surface 121 and 123 of the respective panels 120 and 122 around the aperture 118.
  • the support of the holder for the shoulder 148 of the tube will always be well over 180° around the collar of the tube as shown in the shaded portion of Figure 14. Therefore, the support is distributed around a major portion of the collar of the tube and will prevent any type of extrusion or deformity in the tube when subjected to the high forces induced by centrifugation.
  • Prior approaches for establishing a holder device to carry a plurality of small volume tubes had a significantly smaller area of the collar supported during centrifugation and, therefore, caused the tube to be possibly subjected to deformation because of the high stress exerted at the relatively small support area. This was because in the pivoting of the tube in previous arrangements the tube would randomly find its equilibrium position which resulted in less support to the tube.
  • Figure 13 shows in shaded areas the much smaller support areas that were established in prior types of adapter devices for the small volume tubes.
  • the important aspect of the present invention is the location of the pivot edge 126 with respect to the support surface on the front surfaces 121 and 123 of the holder panels 120 and 122, respectively.
  • the pivot edge 126 during centrifugation directs or forces the tube into its proper support location so that the support shown in Figure 14 is achieved around the collar of the tube.

Claims (5)

1. Porte-tubes pour rotor de centrifugeuse (111) ayant un panneau allongé (120) pour mise en place dans un rotor (44), parallèle à l'axe de rotation du rotor et ayant au moins une ouverture (118) à travers le panneau pour réception d'un tube de centrifugeuse (140), le panneau ayant une surface avant (121) et une surface arrière (130), caractérisé par une première partie semi-circulaire (124) de l'ouverture (118) effilée à partir de la surface avant (121) vers la surface arrière (130) et une seconde partie semi-circulaire (134) de l'ouverture (118) effilée de la surface arrière (130) vers la surface avant (121), les première et seconde parties effilées semi-circulaires étant sur des moitiés opposées de l'ouverture, les parties effilées se faisant face dans l'ouverture de façon que le tube (140) prenne une orientation inclinée parallèle à la seconde partie effilée (134) lorsqu'il est mis en place dans l'ouverture alors que le rotor est au repos (figure 12), le tube pivotant dans le panneau a une position (figure 11) perpendiculaire à l'axe de rotation du rotor lorsque le rotor fonctionne.
2. Porte-tubes pour rotor de centrifugeuse selon la revendication 1, comprenant un bord de pivotement (126) pour bien placer le tube (140) tandis qu'il pivote d'une position inclinée (figure 12) à une position horizontale (figure 11) afin que plus de la moitié du collier (142) soit supportée sur la surface ayant (121).
3. Porte-tubes pour rotor de centrifugeuses selon la revendication 1 ou 2, comprenant une première section pivotante (12) et une seconde section pivotante (14), chacune des sections formant le panneau (120), les sections étant reliées pivotantes à un organe central (16) chacune des sections pouvant pivoter indépendamment de l'autre, le tube (23, 140) à la première section de pivotement étant orienté à une angle radial différent, par rapport à l'axe de rotation du rotor (44), du tube de centrifugeuse à la seconde section de pivotement, l'organe central (16) ayant les première et seconde sections pivotantes offrant un support vertical aux tubes de centrifugeuse lorsque le-support est retiré du rotor et placé sur une surface horizontale.
4. Porte-tubes pour rotor de centrifugeuse selon la revendication 3, comprenant un moyen de blocage (40 et 42) sur l'organe central (16) qui contacte les côtés des tubes de centrifugeuse afin que les tubes de centrifugeuse soient maintenus en toute sécurité dans le support lorsque les première et seconde sections pivotent l'une vers l'autre.
5. Porte-tubes pour rotor de centrifugeuse selon la revendication 3 ou 4, comprenant un certain nombre d'organes divisés également espacés (70) dans le rotor (44) pour placer le support dans le rotor en position bien équilibrée.
EP19800303902 1979-11-13 1980-11-03 Porte-tubes pour centrifugeuse Expired EP0029318B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/093,725 US4295601A (en) 1979-11-13 1979-11-13 Centrifuge tube holder
US93725 1979-11-13
US114876 1980-01-24
US06/114,876 US4301964A (en) 1980-01-24 1980-01-24 Swinging tube holder

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0029318A1 EP0029318A1 (fr) 1981-05-27
EP0029318B1 true EP0029318B1 (fr) 1985-03-13

Family

ID=26787846

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19800303902 Expired EP0029318B1 (fr) 1979-11-13 1980-11-03 Porte-tubes pour centrifugeuse

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP0029318B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE3070280D1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4242476C1 (de) * 1992-12-16 1994-08-11 Eppendorf Geraetebau Netheler Vorrichtung zum Zentrifugieren von Proben
CN105050719B (zh) * 2013-03-06 2018-10-19 凯杰有限公司 用于化学、生物或生物技术物质的管、管设备、在管设备中使用的托架、管的应用及形成管的方法
CN112469505A (zh) * 2018-05-11 2021-03-09 拜克门寇尔特公司 离心机转子和容器布置

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR993500A (fr) * 1949-06-22 1951-10-31 Centrifugeuse et plateau de centrifugation tournant des porte-tubes de laboratoire en entier avec leurs tubes
US3891140A (en) * 1974-02-27 1975-06-24 Becton Dickinson Co Centrifuge

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3070280D1 (en) 1985-04-18
EP0029318A1 (fr) 1981-05-27

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