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
  • B04B5/0442—Radial chamber apparatus for separating predominantly liquid mixtures, e.g. butyrometers with means for adding or withdrawing liquid substances during the centrifugation, e.g. continuous centrifugation
• • 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
  • B04B5/0442—Radial chamber apparatus for separating predominantly liquid mixtures, e.g. butyrometers with means for adding or withdrawing liquid substances during the centrifugation, e.g. continuous centrifugation
  • B04B2005/0492—Radial chamber apparatus for separating predominantly liquid mixtures, e.g. butyrometers with means for adding or withdrawing liquid substances during the centrifugation, e.g. continuous centrifugation with fluid conveying umbilicus between stationary and rotary centrifuge parts

Definitions

• the present invention relates to centrifuge apparati and more particularly to a centrifuge which works in conjunction with a cassette, rotor or other device having fluid retentive chambers and fluid flow tubing fixedly attached to the axis of the device.
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,665.048 that provides a centrifuge for rotating a fluid retentive housing having fluid input and output tubing fixedly connected to a rotation axis of the fluid retentive housing, the centrifuge comprising: a frame; a first rotatable mechanism having a rotation axis, the fluid retentive housing being coaxially mounted thereon for co-rotation therewith; a second rotatable mechanism having a rotation axis, the first and second rotation mechanism being coaxially mounted on the frame; the second rotatable mechanism having an outer circumferential surface engaged with a drive mechanism, the drive mechanism driving the outer circumferential surface such that the second rotatable mechanism rotates at a selected rotational speed X; the first rotatable mechanism being interconnected to the second rotatable mechanism such that the first rotatable mechanism rotates simultaneously with the second rotatable mechanism at a rotational speed of 2X.
• the second rotatable mechanism includes a seat for holding a distal length of the output tubing which extends from the axis of the fluid retentive housing, wherein the distal length of the output tubing held by the seat is rotated around the rotation axis at the same rotational speed as the second rotatable mechanism.
• a centrifuge for rotating a fluid retentive housing such that one or more selected materials suspended in a fluid retained within the housing centrifuged upon rotation of the housing.
• the centrifuge includes a first rotatable mechanism having a rotation access with the fluid retentive housing being coaxially mounted on the first rotatable mechanism for co-rotation therewith.
• Fluid tubing connected to the axis of the fluid retentive housing has a distal length that extends axially outwardly from the fluid retentive housing.
• the improvement comprises a support arm mounted to the second rotatable mechanism, a support tube for receiving therethrough at least part of the distal length of the fluid tubing, and a bearing member for rotatably supporting the support tube in said support arm whereby upon rotation of the first and second rotation mechanisms, the fluid tubing is free to either rotate with or rotate relative to the support tube so as to minimize friction between the fluid tubing and the support therefor.
• a multi-lumen rope comprising a plurality of elongated tubes for delivering one or more fluids between a first fluid containing mechanism and a fluid receiving rotatably driven rotor.
• the aforementioned elongated tubes may comprise at least one tube disposed of in a spiral wrap. This may be either a single strand or a multi-strand wrap and may be either in a counterclockwise or clockwise direction. And also, in a single strand or a multi-strand, at one end the spiral wrap may be clockwise while at the other end counterclockwise and also optionally have a straight section therebetween.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a centrifuge apparatus according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1, particularly, the support arm;
• FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the support arm with end guides and the fluid retentive housing with fluid tubing;
• FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the components of the fluid retentive housing and fluid tubing.
• FIGS. 5A-5H disclose various separate embodiments of the fluid tubing or multi- lumen rope as in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• FIG. 1 shows a centrifuge apparatus 10, the basic construction of which may be substantially the same as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,048. As far as the invention of the present invention is concerned, this relates more to the tubing 70, and, in particular, its support from the centrifuge apparatus 10.
• the support includes the support arm 50 as well as its guide members 52 and 54.
• This apparatus includes a bag set 20.
• This may also be referred to as a self-contained fluid retentive centrifuge cassette or rotor which is mounted on an inner-rotatable chuck 60.
• the bag set 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, has fluid input and output 70 coaxially and fixedly attached to the axis 40 of the cassette 20. As shown, the cassette is mounted on the chuck 60 such that it's rotation axis is coaxial along common axis 40.
• the fixedly attached tubing 70 co-rotates therewith.
• the length 72 of tubing 70 which extends axially outwardly from the area of the fixed attachment 71.
• the length 72 of tubing is curved axially backwardly toward and extends through a radially outer, separately rotatable pulley 90 which rotates, by virtue of a gear train interconnecting the pulley 90 and the chuck 60 at a speed of XRPM while the chuck rotates at a speed of 2XRPM.
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,048 which is incorporated by reference herein regarding the operation of the chuck and pulley arrangement.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the support arm 50.
• the support arm 50 at its central section 56 is fixedly attached to an inner-peripiiery of the pulley 90.
• the support arm 50 rotates with the Hub 90.
• the support arm 50 is of elongated shape and extends on either side of the centrifuge apparatus 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the support arm 50 has an elongated channel 58 which receives the support tube 80. The support tube 80 is actually supported in the channel 58 by means of a pair of bearings 82 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each of these bearings is accommodated in a corresponding recess 84 at opposite ends of the support arm, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thus, the support arm 50 is fixedly attached to the pulley 90, the support tube 80 is supported within the channel and support arm by means of bearings 82 and then the fluid tubing 70 extends through the support tube 80, but in this regard, FIG. 1 shows all of these various components in their final assembled state.
• the fluid tubing 70 is shown being guided by a C-shaped guide member 52 into one end of the support tube 80. At the other end of the support tube, the fluid tubing length 72 extends out of the support tube and into the S-shaped tubing guide 54, as also illustrated in FIG. 1.
• FIGS. 5A-5H show various designs of the rope.
• FIG. 5A shows a single strand 100A counterclockwise wrap while FIG. 5B shows a multi-strand 100B counterclockwise wrap.
• FIG. 5C shows a single strand 100C clockwise wrap, while FIG. 5D shows a multi-strand 100D clockwise wrap.
• the two ends of the skip rope behave asymmetrically. This is due to the fact that one end is twisting clockwise and the other end counterclockwise. One end tends to twist up while the other end untwists.
• the twist direction may be reversed in mid-rope.
• a small section of the rope in the middle has no twist. By doing so, one may install the rope so that both ends see the same twisting condition. The rope may be installed so that both ends twist up to yield maximum torque stiffness so that both ends untwist to produce minimum restriction to fluid flow in the tubes.
• portions of the skip rope progress through curved supports from the access of rotation from the periphery where the rope is guided through very smooth, Teflon, hard coated aluminum parts. Please refer to FIG. 3 and guide members 52 and 54. That in these areas, the co-efficient of friction between the skip rope and the guides is preferably less than 0.2.
• the portion of the skip rope at the maximum radius from the center of rotation is a straight section of various lengths. This section can be very important to the overall torque needed to twist the rope. Indeed the weight of the skip rope assembly (plus fluids if it is filled) is increased by the G-field which may be a multiplier of 1,000 or more.
• this section of skip rope is supported by the aforementioned support tube 80. This is preferably a stiff tube of either metal of structural plastic. The stiff tube is itself supported by the aforementioned low friction bearings 82 allowing full rotation about its own axis. This reduces the torque needed to drive this region of the skip rope assembly to very nearly zero.
• This structure of the support tube and bearings provides an advantageous support for the length of fluid tubing or lumen between the guides 52 and 54. Because the support tube is free to rotate, upon rotation of the members such as 60 and 90 in FIG. 1 , in other words first and second rotation mechanisms, the fluid tubing is free to either rotate with or rotate relative to the support tube.
• FIG. 5B Another characteristic of the present invention relates to the construction of the multi- lumen rope itself, as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 5B.
• This may be comprised of a plurality of at least eight lumens 100B about a center lumen 102B.
• the center lumen 102B is straight while the other peripheral lumens wrap, such as illustrated in FIG. 5B.
• the center lumen 102B may be an expresser tube while the lumens 100B may be processing tubes.
• the tube 102B may be an input tubing and tubings 100B may be output tubings.
• the input and output tubings may be also reversed.

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=22585131

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications After (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (16)

• 2000
  • 2000-10-27 EP EP00973959A patent/EP1272277B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-10-27 AT AT00973959T patent/ATE477057T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-10-27 WO PCT/US2000/029705 patent/WO2001030505A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2000-10-27 JP JP2001532909A patent/JP5147154B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-10-27 ES ES00973959T patent/ES2349888T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-10-27 DE DE60044823T patent/DE60044823D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-10-27 EP EP10172379.9A patent/EP2243554A3/fr not_active Withdrawn
• 2003
  • 2003-07-02 HK HK03104730.4A patent/HK1053804A1/zh unknown
• 2010
  • 2010-07-21 JP JP2010164388A patent/JP2010284651A/ja not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events