EP4292721A2 - Safety workbench and finishing set for finishing a work surface of a safety workbench - Google Patents

Abstract

Safety workbench (101), wherein the safety workbench has a work space (117), a front window (111) for providing a work opening (113) to the work space (117) and a work surface (119) with at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129 ) in the work space (117), and the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) has a channel (141) on the front with a longitudinal dimension and at least one opening (153) for extracting air from the work space (117) and / or for sucking in air from an environment of the safety workbench (101) through the work opening (113), the channel (141) being designed in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension with two legs, and a first leg (145) longer than a second Leg (147) of the channel (141) is designed so that a working plane (121) of the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) is raised or lowered to a lower edge (115) of the work opening (113) or the work space ( 117). The invention further relates to an equipment set for equipping a work surface (119) of a safety workbench (101).

Description

The invention relates to a safety workbench, wherein the safety workbench has a workspace, a front window for providing a work opening to the workspace and a work surface with at least one worktop in the workspace, and the at least one worktop has a channel on the front side with a longitudinal dimension and at least one opening for suction of air from the work space and / or for sucking in air from an environment of the safety workbench through the work opening, the channel being formed with two legs in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension. The invention further relates to an equipment set for equipping a work surface of a safety workbench.

Safety cabinets are used to handle working materials in the chemical, biological, microbiological, pharmaceutical and/or biotechnological fields that have a potential hazard, such as infectious, carcinogenic or mutagenic biological working materials. Safety workbenches are also used to work with sensitive materials and thus protect products. To protect people and/or products as well as to protect against the spread of working materials inside and/or outside the work area, a safety workbench usually has an active ventilation system. The Vertical displacement flow is typically set in the same direction and uniformly as a laminar flow in order to protect against carryover in the sense that hazardous substances do not spread in a horizontal direction within the work space. The special purpose is to improve product protection against cross-contamination.

In order to enable an operator to handle the working materials in the work area, a safety workbench design usually has a work opening arranged between the front window and the upper edge of the work surface of the work area, through which the operator can insert their hands and forearms into the work area. In order to protect the operator and the wider environment around the safety workbench from the escape of dangerous working materials, air from the environment is sucked in through the work opening into the work area to ensure personal protection. In addition, filtered air is usually blown into the workspace from above using a fan in the upper part of the safety workbench, so that a downward displacement flow is formed in the workspace. The displacement flow directed specifically downwards onto the work surface prevents contamination, for example by microorganisms or chemical substances, of a product located and/or handled in the work area and/or a sample to be examined.

The ambient air sucked in through the work opening and/or the displacement air flowing downwards usually sucked off in the lower area of the working opening via a trough-shaped suction opening by means of the blower. This active extraction prevents air from flowing through the work opening from the work space into the environment or, conversely, air from the environment to the working materials in the work space of the safety workbench, and consequently safe personal and product protection is guaranteed.

In a special design of safety workbenches, the front window is tightly closed and access to the work area is usually carried out via an arm cuff system embedded in the front window. Personal protection here is essentially implemented through the windshield and the arm cuff system as a solid barrier. With this design, which is also referred to as a Class III safety cabinet or as an isolator, a rectified and uniform displacement flow is equally important in order to achieve a high level of product protection and protection against carryover. This is sucked off at the suction openings in the same way as in the design described above.

From the DE 201 19 232 U1 a safety workbench is known in which the work surface is formed by several liftable worktops arranged in parallel next to one another, which has a suction trough with a V-shaped cross section and legs of equal length on its respective front side, with a large number of slots being made in the suction trough. The backs are vertical through the flat top of the worktop a large number of air passages for suction are introduced. Suction channels with a V-shaped cross section and connected legs of equal length are also available DE 10 2013 000 768 A1 , DE 20 2014 005 774 U1 , EP 2 711 098 A1 and DE 20 2014 005 774 U1 shown. In the DE 10 2013 019 848 A1 A safety workbench is shown with worktops which have an isosceles suction channel and side openings and/or suction openings arranged on the back.

Out of US 6,368,206 B1 A safety workbench is known in which the front suction grille has a curved surface, the rear edge of the suction grille resting on a support and the front edge of the work surface in turn resting on the rear edge of the suction grille. The front and rear edges of the work surface are higher than the actual work surface in between.

In the DE 10 2004 032 454 A1 a safety workbench with a conventional air duct is disclosed, in which a workspace floor plate is flat and rear suction openings are arranged in a rear wall of the safety workbench.

The DE 200 17 731 U1 relates to an extraction device for a hazardous materials workplace, in which a work surface is flat and a fan is arranged above and below a work opening in a flow channel on the windshield and on the lower, front edge of the work surface.

The disadvantage of known safety workbenches is that laboratory equipment, work equipment and/or measuring devices placed on the worktops and/or the work surface disrupt the suction flow through the work opening from the environment and/or the displacement flow from above and thus do not ensure optimally aligned air flow within the workspace is present. This can lead to unwanted carryover and/or contamination and thus to a risk to product and/or personal protection as well as general occupational safety and operational safety. Product protection in terms of the risk of cross-contamination is particularly affected here if the directional and uniform air flow is disturbed.

The object of the invention is to improve the state of the art.

The task is solved by a safety workbench, the safety workbench having a workspace, a front window for providing a work opening to the workspace and a work surface with at least one worktop in the workspace, and the at least one worktop has a channel on the front with a longitudinal dimension and at least one opening for extracting air from the work space and/or for extracting air from an environment of the safety workbench through the work opening, wherein the channel is designed with two legs in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension, and a first leg is designed to be longer than a second leg of the channels is so that a working level of at least one worktop is raised or lowered a lower edge of the work opening or the work space.

A safety workbench is thus provided which, due to the extraction channel designed, ensures optimal flow of air in the work space and improved suction of air from the work space. Consequently, product protection and personal protection are improved compared to state-of-the-art safety workbenches and the unwanted spread of contamination and/or dangerous substances is prevented.

Because the two legs of the channel are designed with different leg lengths, the working plane of the at least one worktop is increased or decreased accordingly in accordance with the difference between the two leg lengths and the arrangement of the longer first leg on the side facing the windshield or the side facing the worktop. In the case of an elevated working level and thus the longer leg directly on the worktop, the laminar, downward displacement flow splits earlier and at a higher air speed. This leads to better product protection and less turbulence in the work area, which could otherwise cause contamination to be carried over, for example. The fact that with an elevated working level compared to the lower edge of the working opening or the working space (in the case of an insulator or a working opening that is not cleared by vertical movement of the front window), the laminar, Since the downward displacement flow divides earlier and thus at a greater height from the worktop, high-rise work equipment can be placed on the worktop and/or integrated without the displacement flow being negatively influenced. This enables optimal extraction of the air from the working space through the at least one opening and in particular several openings of the channel, since the displacement flow flows optimally around the working device due to the early division at a higher height and is targeted at the at least one opening or the openings of the gutter for suction.

Furthermore, personal protection is also improved since the ambient air sucked in through the work opening is sucked in through its opening or openings in the channel at a higher height than the lower edge of the work opening due to the longer leg. In addition, with an elevated working level, any contamination that may be released in the work area is vacuumed directly over the front edge of the worktop, where the longer leg of the channel is located. Consequently, there is less mixing of the extracted air from the workspace with the sucked-in air from the environment and both are sucked out in a more targeted and directed manner directly via the at least one opening or the several openings of the asymmetrical channel and thus removed from the workspace.

In the opposite case of a lowered working level of the worktop, the flow conditions behave in the opposite way. Here the longer leg is the The gutter is aligned on the side of the windscreen and the shorter leg is arranged on the worktop. As a result, the ambient air sucked in and passing through the work opening falls directly over the lower edge of the work opening and is sucked out directly via the opening or openings in the longer leg. The laminar displacement flow coming from above is first divided at a smaller distance from the worktop and, after division, is sucked out in a more horizontally aligned manner towards the longer leg at the lower edge of the work opening or work space. This can be advantageous, for example, if gases or exhaust gases produced during work are to be entrained by the downward-directed, late-divided displacement flow and thus more strongly directed towards the work surface and/or worktop and are to be specifically sucked out through the flow guide.

Thus, by specifically selecting the two leg lengths, a working plane can be provided which lies above or below the lower edge of the working opening and/or the working space. As a result, the operator standing or sitting at the safety workbench can work ergonomically and flexibly. It is particularly advantageous that the working level, which can be adjusted individually and specifically via the different leg lengths of the suction trough, is only achieved by appropriately designing the trough and/or the at least one worktop and not the floor in the boiler of the safety workbench its height must be changed, as the latter would impair the ergonomics and in particular the legroom for the operator, is technically more complex and would therefore lead to higher costs.

An essential idea of the invention is based on not providing the two legs of a suction trough with the same leg length, in contrast to the prior art, but rather specifically designing two different leg lengths in order to thereby increase or close the working level of the at least one worktop depending on the requirements lower and at the same time an optimal flow around the worktop and / or in, on and / or equipment arranged on the worktop, an optimal suction of the ambient air through the work opening and an at least partially spatially separated suction of the sucked in ambient air and the displacement air from the work space through the gutter to achieve. At the same time, by forming the groove of the respective worktop, an individually adjustable height of the working level and thus ergonomic working as well as optimized personal and/or product protection are achieved due to an adapted, directional air flow guidance.

The following terms are explained:

A "safety workbench" is in particular a workbench for working with chemical, biological, microbiological, biotechnological, pharmaceutical and/or other dangerous working materials and/or with sensitive materials and products. A safety workbench can, for example, be a clean room workbench in which the product is primarily protected by passing filtered air. Likewise, a safety workbench can be a microbiological safety workbench, in which the operator is additionally protected against the escape of potentially contaminated, contaminated and/or dangerous substances and/or aerosols. It can also be a safety workbench in the form of an insulator, in which personal protection is achieved by a solid barrier on the windshield. Depending on the protection of the person working and the object of work, it can be a safety workbench with a safety level of classes I to III. The safety workbench has in particular an upper part with a housing and a lower part and/or base frame. At the front, on which an operator works, a vertically movable front window is arranged in particular in one design. The windshield is in particular a transparent viewing window. The front window can in particular be lowered down to the top of a front edge of a horizontal work surface, which at the same time forms the lower edge of the work opening in this design. The upper edge of the working opening is defined by the underside of the movable front window. This means that the height of the working opening can be specifically adjusted by moving the front window up and/or down. The work opening in this design usually has a rectangular and/or slit-shaped shape. The height of the work opening is preferably chosen such that the operator can insert their hands and/or forearms through the work opening into the work space of the safety workbench and carry out the necessary work, examinations and/or experiments there and also place or support their forearms on the work surface if necessary can. In another design, the windshield is designed as a solid barrier and is typically equipped with an arm cuff system for access.

A "working opening" is in particular an access in, through and/or below the windshield through which an operator can access the interior and handle working materials and/or devices in the interior. A working opening can be one or more openings through the windshield, whereby the opening or openings can be open, closable or closed. In the case of an insulator, the front window provides access to the work area with an arm cuff system and has, for example, two to 4 round or oval holes, to which the arm cuff system is particularly tightly attached, in order to thereby achieve a personal protection function. In this case, the displacement flow serves primarily to achieve product protection and/or carryover protection. In the case of a pure product protection workbench, the air at the work opening is not sucked out of the work area through the gutter or not completely. Likewise can general Safety workbenches have two holes in the front window for the operator's arms to be inserted through, the holes each being able to be closed with a pivoting cover plate.

The "working space" is in particular a space inside the safety workbench, which is delimited at the front by the front window and at the rear by a rear wall and two side walls. On its upper side, the work space is delimited in particular by a ceiling and/or ceiling panel and on its underside by the work surface, the at least one worktop and/or the worktops. When the worktops are removed, the floor plate arranged underneath represents the lower limit of the work space. The walls delimiting the work space can have different materials, for example glass and/or stainless steel.

The "lower edge" of a safety workbench with a vertically movable front window is in particular the lower edge of the work opening and/or at the same time the top of a front edge of a horizontal surface and/or work surface onto which the front window can be completely lowered. In the case of a fixed windshield, such as an insulator, the "lower edge of the working space" is to be understood in particular as meaning the lower boundary of the working space directly below and/or directly inside the windshield, which in particular at the same time is the top of a front edge of a horizontal surface and/or work surface can be directly on the inside of the windshield.

Furthermore, the safety workbench has in particular a suction device. For this purpose, the safety workbench can have a fan, for example. Furthermore, the safety workbench can have one or more filters, such as particle and/or aerosol filters. In particular, the safety workbench has one or more HEPA filters and/or cartridge filters. As further equipment, the safety workbench can have a suction unit for liquids, sockets, gas connections, UV lamps for sterilizing the work area, LED lighting and sensors, for example for temperature measurement and/or motion detection of a person moving in front of the safety workbench.

The “work area” is in particular an area intended for work in the work area. In particular, the work surface essentially takes up the entire width of the work space. The work surface can have one worktop or several worktops and/or edge areas to the front window, the side walls and/or the back in the workspace. The usable work surface can, for example, be equipped in segments with two to six worktops. This means that the work surface is only interrupted with a small gap between the flexible, modular worktops. The work surface is particularly flat. The work surface has in particular a work plane. However, the work surface can also have different working levels and thus provide different working heights The top of the worktop is structured with different heights and/or two or more worktops have channels, each with different lengths of the longest leg.

The "working plane" is in particular the horizontal surface of the worktop on which the work takes place in the work area of the safety workbench. The working plane extends in depth, in particular from the front edge of the worktop, which rests on the gutter and/or is connected to it, to the rear edge of the worktop on a flat area of the top of the worktop. The height of the working level is defined in particular by the distance between the top of the worktop in the area of the working level and the lower edge of the work opening and/or the work space. In the case of different heights of a worktop, the working level is understood to mean the highest height of the worktop.

A “worktop” is in particular a work and/or storage area. In particular, the worktop is plate-shaped only in the area of the working plane and is otherwise three-dimensionally shaped. For example, the worktop has two side walls next to the gutter with the asymmetrical shape. A web or several downwardly projecting webs can be arranged on the underside of the side walls on both sides, which can be placed on a storage rail below the worktop on both sides. The worktop can in particular be removed from the safety workbench and/or interchangeable. The worktop can have different widths, for example 30 cm or 60 cm. This means that several worktops can be flexibly arranged next to each other across the width of the work surface and thus the interior of the safety workbench. Likewise, all worktops can be the same width, with the width of the worktop being an integer multiple of the width of each worktop, so that the worktops abut each other when laid down. Furthermore, the worktop or worktops can have further openings for air intake or extraction and/or a free shape for the respective use.

A “gutter” is in particular a component with an elongated depression. The longitudinal dimension of the channel is in particular its dimension with the longest orientation and corresponds in particular to the width of the worktop. Of course, the channel can also be made longer or shorter than the width of the worktop. Particularly in the case of worktops lying next to each other with different working levels, the channel can also be specially shaped in the edge regions on both sides in order to enable a transition to the next channel on the adjacent worktop with a different longest leg length and thus a different working level. The channel has a cross section with two legs of different lengths across the longitudinal dimension and thus has an asymmetrical shape. In principle, the channel can have any cross-sectional shape, such as U-shaped or V-shaped, exhibit. The two legs of the gutter are connected to one another in cross-section with their respective ends, in particular on the underside of the gutter, so that the gutter is essentially open at the top and/or, depending on the lengths of the two legs, also at the sides. The channel is designed in particular as a suction channel for the sucked-in ambient air and the displacement air. For this purpose, the channel in particular has one opening, two or more openings or a plurality of openings. Thus, the sucked air from the top of the gutter passes through the opening or openings of the gutter. The gutter is made of stainless steel in particular. The gutter can be permanently connected to the worktop or detachable. The channel can also be designed in two parts or in several parts. In a two-part design, for example, one leg can be designed as a downward and forward-oriented slope on the front of the worktop and can have at least one opening, while the other leg is designed, for example, as a sheet metal with at least one opening, which slopes downwards from the lower edge is inserted down to the lower end of the slope of the worktop so that both legs lie against each other at the apex.

In cross section, a “leg” is understood to mean the straight line that forms an angle with another straight line and thus with the other leg of the asymmetrical shape. In principle, it should be emphasized that the first leg can be longer than the second leg or, conversely, the second leg can be longer than the first leg. The designations “first leg” and “second leg” serve only to differentiate and do not represent an order. If the longer first leg or the longer second leg of the gutter is arranged towards the windshield, the shorter leg is arranged on the worktop and the working level is lowered compared to the lower edge of the work opening or work space. If, on the other hand, the longer first leg or the longer second leg is arranged on the worktop, the shorter leg is accordingly arranged on the side of the windshield and the working plane is elevated compared to the lower edge of the work opening or the work space. Preferably, the top of the leg, which is aligned with the windshield, has the same height as the lower edge of the work opening or the free end of this leg directly forms the lower edge of the work opening or is connected to it. For example, the first longer leg has a length of 85 mm and the second shorter leg has a length of 36 mm, with an internal angle of 75° being arranged between these two legs. The first leg and/or the second leg can be designed to be straight, curved, bent or shaped in a different way and/or each have two or more sections.

An “opening” is understood to mean, in particular, a breakthrough through the wall of the first leg and/or the second leg. An opening can be a circular, slot-shaped and/or differently shaped opening. The gutter preferably points over yours Open a plurality of spaced-apart openings through the first leg and/or the second leg.

In a further embodiment, the safety workbench has a second worktop, a third worktop, a fourth worktop and/or further worktops.

Through a modular design of the worktops, different and/or the same work levels can be provided for different work requirements.

A second worktop, a third worktop, a fourth worktop and/or further worktops are in principle a worktop as defined above, but the worktops can be designed differently in terms of their shape and/or function. For example, a worktop can have a cutout, a second worktop can have a recessed tub and a third worktop can have a flat work surface for placing an object or device. In particular, the worktops can each be raised in order to ensure access and cleanability of the space under the respective worktop and the base plate and/or collecting pan underneath. Likewise, the two or more worktops may have different or the same materials such as glass and/or stainless steel.

In a further embodiment, the channel is V-shaped in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension.

Thus, the two different long legs of the asymmetrical V-shaped channel can be optimally aligned with their respective free leg ends to the work opening and/or the lower edge and to the worktop.

In order to divide the displacement flow at a predetermined height above the worktop and/or to specifically align the suction of the ambient air through the work opening, the first length of the first leg and a second length of the second leg of the channel are designed such that the working plane of the at least one Worktop or the respective worktop in a range from 10.0 mm to 100.0 mm, in particular from 20.0 mm to 60.0 mm, preferably from 30.0 mm to 50.0 mm increased or decreased to the lower edge of the work opening or the work area.

The specifically set increase or decrease in the working level depends not only on parameters of the suction device, such as air volume flow and air speed, but also on parameters of the laboratory device, measuring device and/or work device used on the respective worktop. For example, in the case of a working device with a high height, a higher elevation of the working level is selected in order to raise the displacement flow sufficiently early on the top of the implement so that the displacement air flows optimally around the implement.

In a further embodiment of the safety workbench, an internal angle is arranged between the first leg and the second leg, aligned with the working space (117) in a range from 10° to 140°, in particular from 30° to 110°, preferably from 45° to 90° .

Depending on the set interior angle between the two legs, the displacement air and the sucked-in ambient air can be extracted through the gutter in separate areas and thus in different ways through different openings in the gutter or just mixed in the gutter. The width of the inner angle can therefore specifically enable or prevent entrainment and/or mixing between the displacement air flow and the sucked-in ambient air flow.

The “inner angle” is in particular the angle that is included between the two legs. The connection of the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg and the corner formed thereby form in particular the apex of the interior angle. Starting from the interior angle at the apex between the two legs, the space between the two legs expands towards the working space.

In order to change the flow of the air quickly and easily, a channel, a respective channel and/or the channels can be detachable with the at least one Worktop or the respective worktop can be connected.

This means that if the worktop has already been inserted into the workspace, the flow and suction conditions within the workspace can be changed and adapted to the respective work and/or equipment to be used by simply replacing the gutter, without the entire worktop having to be removed from the workspace. The detachable channel can be detachably arranged and/or connected in particular on the front side of the worktop that is parallel to and next to the work opening and/or on the front edge and/or the front surface of the worktop. For this purpose, the channel can, for example, rest and/or be suspended with its front edge on the lower edge of the work opening or the work space and with its rear edge on the front edge of the worktop. In principle, the detachable channel can be connected to the worktop by any type of non-positive and/or positive connection, for example by a tongue-and-groove connection or a plug-in or snap-in connection.

In a further embodiment of the safety workbench, a channel, a respective channel and/or the channels are firmly connected to the at least one worktop or the respective worktop.

This means that the worktop with the connected gutter is provided as a complete unit and is therefore replaceable. This one-piece and/or connected Design offers the advantage that the gutter and the worktop form a closed surface and there are no cracks or other gaps between the gutter and the worktop in which substances can accumulate and which make cleaning difficult.

In order to provide the largest possible and/or optimally designed suction area and/or height, the two or more openings are arranged at least partially along the first leg and the second leg, and a number, a shape, an opening cross-sectional area and/or an arrangement of the Openings on the first and second legs are the same and/or different.

Thus, apart from an upper and lower edge as well as webs and webs on both sides between the openings, the respective length of the first leg and / or the second leg can be designed almost completely as an opening or with openings, the openings preferably being laterally spaced apart from one another over the entire length Width of the respective channel are carried out. For example, the openings can be designed as slots along the first leg length and/or the second leg length. The slots can be arranged continuously or interrupted and/or offset from one another along both leg lengths. The openings can advantageously be designed as elongated holes along the length of the first leg and/or the second leg. Likewise, several circular openings can be formed one behind the other, spaced apart both in the direction of the leg length and in the direction of the width of the channel. Of course, the openings can be made in different patterns and/or distances along the leg and the width of the channel in the inner respective leg surface. Likewise, the two legs can have different patterns, sizes, densities and/or shapes of openings. A leg can also be partially and/or completely free of an opening or completely free of openings. In particular, the shape, the cross-sectional area or sum of the cross-sectional areas of the openings on the first leg and the second leg can be different, and in particular on the first longer leg extending towards the working plane, the cross-sectional area of the openings can be larger than on the second leg.

Overall, through the targeted choice of the length of the legs, the inner angle and/or the shape and opening area of the openings, the flow guidance of the displacement flow and/or the sucked-in ambient air flow can be guided and influenced in a targeted manner, thereby avoiding disruptive flows in the area of the working opening.

In a further embodiment, the worktop and/or the worktops can have an incline on a further side relative to a front side of the respective worktop and/or on a back side aligned with a back side of the work space, the incline decreasing or increasing in relation to the work plane .

This means that the displacement air can be guided specifically via a rising or falling slope on the back of the worktop. This results in better, more even air flow at the back of the work area, both at an elevated working level and at a lowered working level. Additionally or in addition, one side or both sides of the worktop can also have a slope. This means that contamination that has potentially accumulated on the working level can be specifically removed to the side and/or to the back of the work area.

In order to extract the air in the workspace from the back of the workspace, on the side and/or sides of the worktop and/or in the area of the slope and remove it from the workspace, the worktop or worktops can be on the other side Back, the slope and / or the back of the work space has or have at least one additional opening or several additional openings for extracting air from the work space.

It is particularly advantageous if the additional and thus a rear opening or the several rear openings are arranged solely and/or in addition to the rear of the work space itself, since this means that the surface of the working plane on the worktop is not covered by additional openings or only by a few additional ones Openings formed in the worktop itself is restricted. There can also be additional openings on the side or both opposite sides and / or on the slope of the side, the opposite side and / or the back of the worktop. This also improves rear and/or side suction directly on the worktop itself. In principle, however, the front itself can also have a slope with or without at least one additional opening.

In a further embodiment of the safety workbench, the at least one additional opening or the several additional openings are at least partially arranged above and/or below the working plane.

As a result, in the case of a lowered working level, the air is preferably extracted above the working level and, in the case of an elevated working level, preferably below the working level. With the raised working level, the air is preferably led from the worktop down over the sloping slope to the rear openings in the rear wall of the work area. The rear openings are advantageously designed at least partially below the working plane or completely below the working plane of the worktop, essentially over the entire width of the rear wall and/or the work surface through the rear wall. Of course, a rear opening or several rear openings can also be arranged in the rear, sloping or rising slope of the worktop itself as an alternative or in addition to rear openings in the rear wall of the work space.

In order to ensure flexible, requirements-based work with optimal air flow guidance and thus safe product and/or personal protection, the at least one worktop or worktops are interchangeable and/or flexibly positioned.

This means that the work surface can be assembled and replaced quickly and easily in modular form as required. For this purpose, different worktops in standardized but different sizes are preferably provided.

In a further embodiment, the worktop or worktops have at least one work device, in particular a pipetting robot.

Various pre-assembled work tools can therefore be arranged and/or integrated on or in the respective worktop in at least some of the worktops. Of course, a worktop can also have several work tools. The working device is in particular releasably connected to the worktop, so that an individual worktop can be introduced into the workspace through the work opening as a unit together with an arranged and/or integrated workpiece or several workpieces and can also be removed from the workspace again. It is particularly advantageous here that the respective worktops with the integrated work tools can be positioned differently within the work surface and are interchangeable with one another. Depending on the design of the Working device and in particular its height, the worktops can be designed differently and provide different working heights and/or levels. For example, a worktop can also have a cutout in which a work tool is inserted and attached. Likewise, the working device can also stand directly on the floor of the work area in the cutout surrounded by the working plane that remains as an edge. In particular for a pipetting robot, an optimally designed worktop is thereby provided, which ensures safe, automatic operation of the pipetting robot without impairing personal protection and/or product protection. It is also advantageous that other work, such as weighing work, can be carried out by an operator on a second worktop next to the pipetting robot. In addition, the pipetting robot can work with its robot arm at a significantly higher height and build correspondingly high, without the weighing work being affected by a usual sideways hand movement when weighing in at a lower working height. For this purpose, the weighing device can, for example, be embedded in the working plane of the second worktop. Preferably, the working level of the worktop and a working level of the working device, for example the level on which a sample of the working device is placed, are at the same height.

A “work device” is in particular any type of device that is in a Safety workbench is used. A working device can be a laboratory device, a measuring device and/or devices for sample preparation, treatment and the like. A working device is in particular a pipetting robot. A working device can also be a 3D printer, which can produce toxic gases when applying material, for example, a scale and/or weighing plate, a heating plate and/or cooling plate, a magnetic stirrer, a horizontal or vortex shaker, a computer -Keyboard and/or another device.

In a further embodiment, the worktop has a cutout for at least one working device, the working device being partially located below the working plane of the worktop and the working device being arranged on a collecting tray of the safety workbench.

This means that even high-rise work equipment can be integrated into the worktop and arranged in a stable manner.

In an additional aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a safety workbench, wherein the safety workbench has a workspace, a front window for providing a work opening to the workspace and a work surface with at least one worktop in the workspace, and the at least one worktop has a gutter on the front a longitudinal dimension and at least one opening for extracting air from the Working space and / or for sucking in air from an environment of the safety workbench through the work opening, a working level of the at least one worktop being raised or lowered to a lower edge of the work opening or the work space and the worktop on a rear side opposite the work opening Has a slope, with the slope falling relative to the working plane.

In a further aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by an equipment set for equipping a work surface of a safety workbench, the equipment set having a worktop or two or more worktops, the worktops being of the same and/or different design, and the respective worktop having a channel at least one opening for extracting air from a work space of the safety workbench and / or for sucking air from the environment of the safety workbench through a work opening, the channel being designed with two legs in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension, and the two legs of the channel being different have lengths.

An equipment set is thus provided for the user and the operator of the safety workbench, with which the work surface can be optimally equipped with different, modular worktops in a simple and quick manner. This means that the work surface of a safety workbench can be individually and specifically tailored to the respective work requirements and the necessary flow guidance of the air flows in the workbench Workspace can be adjusted. The equipment set in particular has at least one worktop, as previously described for the safety workbench.

In a further embodiment of the equipment set, a pre-assembled work device, in particular a pipetting robot, is integrated in and/or on at least one worktop, so that the at least one worktop with the integrated work device can be introduced and/or removed through the work opening into the work space of the safety workbench.

Figur 1

eine dreidimensionale Darstellung einer linken Arbeitsplatte,

Figur 2

eine dreidimensionale Darstellung einer rechten Arbeitsplatte,

Figur 3

eine dreidimensionale Darstellung einer mittleren Arbeitsplatte mit ebener Plattenfläche,

Figur 4

eine dreidimensionale Darstellung einer mittleren Arbeitsplatte mit einem Ausschnitt,

Figur 5

eine dreidimensionale Darstellung eines Schnittes einer Sicherheitswerkbank mit einem Pipettierroboter in Draufsicht von seitlich vorne,

Figur 6

eine dreidimensionale Schnittdarstellung der Sicherheitswerkbank mit dem Pipettierroboter im Querschnitt, und

Figur 7

ein dreidimensionaler Ausschnitt der Sicherheitswerkbank mit dem Pipettierroboter in seitlicher Draufsicht,

Figur 8

eine dreidimensionale Darstellung einer Alternative der linken Arbeitsplatte mit einer lösbaren Rinne.

The invention is explained in more detail using exemplary embodiments. Show it

Figure 1

a three-dimensional representation of a left worktop,

Figure 2

a three-dimensional representation of a right worktop,

Figure 3

a three-dimensional representation of a medium worktop with a flat surface,

Figure 4

a three-dimensional representation of a medium worktop with a cutout,

Figure 5

a three-dimensional representation of a section of a safety workbench with a pipetting robot in a top view from the front,

Figure 6

a three-dimensional sectional view of the safety workbench with the pipetting robot in cross section, and

Figure 7

a three-dimensional section of the safety workbench with the pipetting robot in a side plan view,

Figure 8

a three-dimensional representation of an alternative to the left worktop with a removable channel.

For a safety workbench 101, four flexibly usable and interchangeable worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 are provided as an equipment set to form a work surface 119 of the safety workbench 101. The left worktop 123 ( Figure 1 ), the right worktop 125 ( Figure 2 ), the middle worktop 127 with a flat plate surface 131 ( Figure 3 ) and the middle worktop 129 with a cutout 137 each have a firmly connected groove 141 on their front. A sloping slope 155 is arranged on the back opposite the respective channel 141. Furthermore, the worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 each have side surfaces 132 on both sides. The middle worktops 127 and 129 each have webs 139 on the undersides of the side surfaces 132 in the front and rear areas for resting on a storage rail 157 of the safety workbench 101 (see Figure 5 ).

In the state of the worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 inserted into the safety workbench 101, the side surfaces 132 on both sides rest against the side surface 132 of the respective worktop 123, 125, 127 and 129 arranged to the left and right thereof. In the case of the left worktop 123 (see Fig. 1 ) this lies with its left side surface 132 correspondingly on a left side wall 108 of the safety workbench 101 and the right worktop 125 correspondingly with its right side surface 132 (see Figure 2 ) on the right side wall of the safety workbench 101, not shown in the figures.

The left worktop 123 has a width 133 of 300 mm and a depth 135 of 600 mm. Of these, a depth 143 of the gutter 141 is 88 mm (see Figure 1 ). The right worktop 125 has the same dimensions as the left worktop 123. The middle worktop 127 with the flat plate surface 131 and the middle worktop 129 with the cutout 137 each have a width 133 of 630 mm and a depth 135 of 600 mm. For both middle worktops 127 and 129, the depth 143 of the channel 141 is also 88 mm. The respective channel 141 of the four worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 is designed over the entire width 133 of the respective worktop. The respective channel 141 has an asymmetrical V-shape in cross section with a first leg 145 and a second leg 147. The length 149 of the first leg 145 is 84 mm and a length 151 of the second leg 147 is 36 mm (see Figure 7 ). An interior angle 152 between the first leg 145 and the second leg 147 is 75°. Along the length 149 of the first leg 145 and the length 151 of the second leg 147, a large number of continuous and parallel suction slots 153 are arranged as elongated holes, which cover almost the entire width of the channel 141 and thus the width 133 of the worktops 123, 125, Take 127 and 129.

In an alternative, a single left worktop 223 is formed free of a fixed channel. The individual worktop 223 instead has a sloping front 255. A detachable channel 251 can be placed with its back on this sloping front 255 of the worktop 223 ( Fig. 8 ). After inserting the worktop 223 into a work space 117 of the safety workbench 101, the detachable channel can be inserted and removed between a lower edge 115 of the work opening 113 and the sloping front 255 of the worktop 223. Since the sloping front side 255 of the worktop 223 has a smaller inclination than the back of the detachable gutter 251, when the detachable gutter 251 is inserted, the extracted air flows through the suction slot 153 and further through a space between the back of the detachable gutter 251 and the sloping front side 255 the worktop 223 downwards.

The safety workbench 101 has a height-adjustable base frame 103 and an upper part 105 with a housing 107 (see Figures 5 and 6 ). A control panel 109 is arranged on the outside of the housing 107. An internal work space 117 of the safety workbench 101 is limited by the left side wall 108, the opposite right side wall (not shown in the figures), a back 161 and on the front by a transparent front window 111 that can be moved up and down, the front window 111 being a good one for an operator sitting or standing in front of the safety workbench 101 Visibility into work area 117 is guaranteed. Below the front window 111 there is a wide, elongated, slot-like work opening 113 with a rectangular outline and the height can be adjusted by moving the front window 111, the lower edge 115 of the work opening 113 being fixed by an upper edge of a wall of a collecting trough 159. This edge is formed evenly with the upper end of the second leg 147 of the channels 141. The lower extent of the working space 117 is delimited in the middle by a work surface 119, which is defined by the left worktop 123, the middle worktop 129 with the cutout 137, the middle worktop 127 and the not in the Figures 5 and 6 right worktop 125 shown is formed. A pipetting robot 191 is inserted and fastened into the cutout 137 of the middle worktop 129, with the pipetting robot 191 resting with its underside on the bottom of the collecting tray 159. The respective channels 141 and the rear slopes 155 of the worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 merge flush with one another across the width of the work surface 119.

The back 161 of the working space 117 has a plurality of horizontally aligned rear suction openings 165. The back of the Safety workbench 101 is double-walled with the back 161 of the workspace 117 and an actual backside 163 of the safety workbench 101, with an air duct 173 being arranged between the back 161 of the workspace 117 and the back 163 of the safety workbench 101. A flow grid 167 is arranged at the bottom of the air duct 173. The air duct 173 is in fluid communication with the work space 117 via the rear suction openings 165 and via a connecting channel 171 between the worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 and the bottom of the collecting pan 159 and further via the suction slots 153. Optionally, a cartridge filter or several cartridge filters can be arranged in a filter housing between the connecting channel 171 and the air channel 173.

As in Figure 6 shown, a fan 175 and two HEPA filters 177 as well as an unmarked electronic control and regulation device for controlling and / or regulating the components and functions of the safety workbench 101 are arranged inside the upper part 105. The one HEPA filter 177 is arranged on the top of the upper part 105 in front of an exit of exhaust air with a flow direction 185 into the environment. The other HEPA filter 177 is arranged with a flow direction 183 in front of the entry of displacement air into the working space 117.

The following operations are carried out with the worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 and the safety workbench 101:

By moving the front window 111 up, the operator opens the working opening 113 between the underside of the front window 111 and the lower edge 115 (upper edge of the side wall of the collecting pan 159) to the maximum and brings the left worktop 123 into the work space 119, which is flush with the left side wall 108 is placed and placed on the storage rail 157. The operator then brings the central worktop 129 with the pipetting robot 191 arranged in the cutout 137 into the work space and places it flush on the left side against the right side wall 132 of the left worktop 123. Below are the middle worktop 127 and the right one, not shown in the figures Worktop 125 is also introduced into the work space 117 through the work opening 113 and placed flush so that the work surface 119 is formed. Due to the shorter length 151 of the second leg 147 compared to the longer length 149 of the first leg 145, a working plane 121 is increased by 38 mm compared to the lower edge 115 of the working opening 113 (see Figure 7 ).

The operator then moves the front window 111 down again so far that the work opening 113 is sufficiently open so that the operator can bring his forearms and hands into the work space 117 to handle work materials on the work surface 119, but not too much ambient air from outside can enter the working space 117 in a suction direction 181 through the working opening 113.

After the operator has switched on the safety workbench 101 and its components on the control panel 109 and made presettings and has programmed the pipetting robot 191 for the necessary pipetting tasks, for example for a PCR (polymerase chain reaction), the lower HEPA is continuously pumped through the lower HEPA with the fan 175 running. Filter 177 suspended solids-free displacement air is introduced into the working space 117 from above in the flow direction 183. Due to the raised working plane 121, the laminar displacement air divides above the top of the pipetting robot 191 at higher air speeds than on the worktop 129. Due to the upwardly drawn suction slots 153 of the longer first leg 145 and the sloping slope 155 with the direction of the rear displacement flow towards the rear Suction openings 165 in the back 161 of the working space 117 achieve an improved and more uniform air flow in the front and rear part of the working space 117 compared to an isosceles V-shaped channel in cross-section according to the prior art. This results in less turbulence in the work area 117, less carryover of contamination and thus better product protection. The personal protection of the operator in front of the safety workbench 101 is also improved, since contamination that may have been released in the work space 117 is sucked off directly via the front of the respective worktop 123, 125, 127 and 129 through the upper area of the suction slots 153 of the first longer leg 145. In addition, the channels 141 with an asymmetrical V-shape in cross section due to the shorter front leg 147 and of the longer first leg 145 aligned with the respective worktop 123, 125, 127 and 129, the displacement air sucked out at the front in the flow direction 183 and the ambient air sucked in from the environment through the work opening 113 in the suction direction 181 are more spaced apart from one another and through at least partially different areas of the Suction slots 153 guided into the connecting channel 171 (see Figure 6 ). This improves both personal protection and product protection. The ambient air and displacement air extracted at the front of the worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 through the suction slots 153 is guided through the connecting channel 171 and mixes there with the displacement air drawn off at the rear, which is drawn out through the rear suction openings 165 through the back 161 of the working space 117 has escaped into the air duct 173, both streams flow through the flow grid 167 upwards into the interior of the upper part 105 for better mixing and are sucked in there by the blower 175, partly through the upper HEPA filter 177 in the flow direction 185 as suspended air released into the environment. The other part of the mixed air sucked in by the blower 175 is filtered through the lower HEPA filter 177 and blown back into the work space 117 as suspended matter-free displacement air.

A safety workbench 101 is thus provided, which has various worktops 123, 125, 127 and 129 that can be used flexibly and modularly Due to the design of the channel 141 for extracting ambient air and displacement air with the longer first leg 145 and the shorter second leg 147 in cross section, they ensure optimal air flow in the working space 117 even in the case of the arrangement of a tall pipetting robot 191 integrated in the worktop 129.

Reference symbol list

101

Safety workbench

103

Base frame

105

Top

107

Housing

108

Side wall

109

Control panel

111

Windshield

113

Work opening

115

lower edge of the working opening

117

working space

119

work surface

121

Working level

123

left worktop

125

right worktop

127

medium worktop

129

medium worktop with cutout

131

plate area

132

side surface

133

Width

135

depth

137

Detail

139

web

141

gutter

143

Depth of the gutter

145

first leg

147

second leg

149

Length of the first leg

151

Length of the second leg

152

Interior angle

153

suction slot

155

Oblique

157

Storage rail

159

collection tray

161

Back of the workspace

163

Back of the safety workbench

165

Rear suction opening

167

Flow grid

171

connection channel

173

Air duct

175

fan

177

HEPA filter

181

Intake direction of ambient air

183

Flow direction of the displacement air

185

Flow direction of the exhaust air

191

Pipetting robot

223

single left worktop

251

detachable gutter

255

slanted front

Claims (15)

Safety workbench (101), wherein the safety workbench (101) has a work space (117), a front window (111) for providing a work opening (113) to the work space (117) and a work surface (119) with at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) in the work space (117), and the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) has a channel (141) on the front with a longitudinal dimension and at least one opening (153) for extracting air from the work space ( 117) and/or for sucking in air from an environment of the safety workbench (101) through the working opening (113), the channel (141) being designed with two legs in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension, characterized in that a first leg ( 145) is designed to be longer than a second leg (147) of the channel (141), so that a working plane (121) of the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) is raised or lowered to a lower edge (115) of the work opening ( 113) or the work area (117). Safety workbench (101) according to claim 1, characterized in that the channel (141) is V-shaped in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension. Safety workbench (101) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a first length (149) of the first leg (145) and a second length (151) of the second leg (147) of the channel (141) are designed such that Working plane (121) of the at least one worktop or the respective worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) in a range from 10.0 mm to 100.0 mm, in particular from 20.0 mm to 60.0 mm, preferably from 30 .0 mm to 50.0 mm increased or decreased to the bottom edge (115) the work opening (113) or the work space (117). Safety workbench (101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that between the first leg (145) and the second leg (147) there is an internal angle aligned with the working space (117) in a range from 10° to 140°, in particular from 30 ° to 110°, preferably from 45° to 90°. Safety workbench (101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a channel, a respective channel and / or the channels (141) can be detachably connected to the at least one worktop or the respective worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) or are and/or a gutter, a respective gutter and/or the gutters (141) is or are firmly connected to the at least one worktop or the respective worktop (123, 125, 127, 129). Safety workbench (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two or more openings (153) are arranged at least partially along the first leg (145) and the second leg (147), characterized in that a number, a shape, an opening cross-sectional area and/or an arrangement of the openings (153) on the first and second legs (145, 147) are the same and/or different. Safety workbench (101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the worktop and/or the worktops (123, 125, 127, 129) are aligned on a further side relative to a front side of the respective worktop and/or on a rear side The back (161) of the working space (117) has a slope (155), the slope (155) falling or rising relative to the working plane (121). Safety workbench (101) according to claim 7, characterized in that the worktop or worktops (123, 125, 127, 129) on the further side, the back, the slope and / or the back (161) of the work space (117) at least has or have an additional opening or several additional openings (165) for extracting air from the working space (117). Safety workbench (101) according to claim 8, characterized in that the at least one additional opening or the several additional openings (165) is or are arranged at least partially above and/or below the working plane (121). Safety workbench (101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a worktop or the worktops (123, 125, 127, 129) has or have at least one work device, in particular a pipetting robot (191). Safety workbench (101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) has a cutout (137) for at least one working device, the working device is partially located below the working plane of the worktop and the working device on a collecting trough (159) of the safety workbench (101) is arranged. Safety workbench (101), wherein the safety workbench (101) has a work space (117), a front window (111) for providing a work opening (113) to the work space (117) and a work surface (119) with at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) in the work space (117), and the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) has a channel (141) on the front with a longitudinal dimension and at least one opening (153). Suctioning air from the work space (117) and / or for sucking air from an environment of the safety workbench (101) through the work opening (113), in particular according to one of claims 1 to 6 or 8 to 11, characterized in that a Working plane (121) of the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) is raised or lowered to a lower edge (115) of the work opening (113) or the work space (117) and the worktop (123, 125, 127, 129 ) has a slope (155) on a rear side opposite the working opening (113), the slope (155) sloping down relative to the working plane (121). Equipment set for equipping a work surface (119) of a safety workbench (101), the equipment set having a worktop or two or more worktops (123, 125, 127, 129), the worktops (123, 125, 127, 129) being the same and/or or are designed differently, and the respective worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) has a channel (141) with at least one opening (153) for extracting air from a work space (117) of the safety workbench (101) and / or for suction of air from an environment of the safety workbench (101) through a working opening (113), the channel (141) being formed with two legs in cross section transverse to the longitudinal dimension, characterized in that the two legs (145, 147) of the channel are different have lengths. Equipment set according to claim 13, characterized in that a pre-assembled working device, in particular a pipetting robot (191), is integrated in and/or on at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129), so that the at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) with the integrated working device through the working opening (113). the work space (117) of the safety workbench (101) can be inserted and/or removed. Equipment set according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that at least one worktop (123, 125, 127, 129) is designed according to one of claims 1 to 12.

Images