JP7306689B2 - shaking machine - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a shaker, and more particularly, to a shaker that shakes a sample held on a shaking table to culture cells and react, dissolve, and mix the sample.

As a shaker used for cell culture, a seesaw type shaker that agitates the sample solution in the container by providing a horizontal spindle just below the center of the shaking table and tilting the shaking table alternately left and right (see, for example, Patent Document 1.) Or, by providing a vertically extending support shaft on the back side of the center of the shaking table and interlocking with the support shaft that moves in a conical trajectory, the sample in the container is tilted in a circular motion. A wave-type shaker for agitating a liquid (see, for example, Patent Document 2) is known.

JP-A-10-191959 JP-A-10-191960

The shaking by the shaker should be uniform so that the entire amount of the sample liquid flows smoothly in the container. However, in the above-mentioned seesaw-type or wave-type shaker, since the operation of the shaking table is extremely simple, there is a problem that the sample liquid tends to stagnate in the container, and the sample liquid cannot be stirred evenly and uniformly. rice field. In particular, due to its structure, the wave-type shaker cannot hold the shaking table in a horizontal state, and has the disadvantage that the sample liquid in the container is always biased. It is also prone to instability. In addition, if the sample liquid should spill out of the container, the sample liquid may adhere to the electrical parts located directly below the shaking table and cause a malfunction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shaker capable of uniformly stirring a sample liquid and ensuring high reliability against occurrence of failures, while having a compact structure.

In order to achieve the above object, the shaker of the present invention reciprocates a shaking table provided on a base to shake a sample held on the shaking table to a set height position on the base. a pivotally supported horizontal rotating shaft, a motor connected to the end of the rotating shaft, supporting the shaking table on the rotating shaft and powering the shaking table to rotate the shaking table. It is characterized by comprising a compound motion mechanism capable of simultaneously executing reciprocating linear motion in the axial direction and oscillating motion in the rotational direction with respect to the shaft.

The compound motion mechanism includes a link base provided on the upper surface of the base, and a slide link provided on the lower surface of the shaking table, which engages with the rotating shaft and is slidable in the axial and rotational directions. a cam mechanism comprising a cam wheel provided at an eccentric position from the axis of the rotary shaft and a cam ring assembled to the cam wheel so as to be rotatable relative to the cam wheel and to revolve around the axis of the rotary shaft; a pivot link that is tiltably connected between the link base and the slide link via a pair of upper and lower spherical bearings, the pair of upper and lower spherical bearings being held in the case so as to be spherically slidable; and a connecting shaft provided on an axis passing through the center of the sphere, the case of the upper spherical bearing is attached to the slide link, and the case of the lower spherical bearing is attached to the link base, respectively. , both connecting shafts are inserted into the upper shaft hole and the lower shaft hole provided in the pivot link, respectively, so that the pivot link can be moved relative to the tilting movement of the pivot link. an action portion connected to a lower position of the cam ring and changing its posture interlocking with the revolution of the cam ring; A motion imparting portion for alternately imparting a pushing motion and a pulling motion is provided, and the upper shaft hole is elongated so that the connecting shaft of the upper spherical bearing can slide when the motion imparting portion rotates. It is characterized by being formed in

According to the shaker of the present invention, a shaking table is supported on a horizontal rotating shaft, and power is obtained from a motor connected to the end of the rotating shaft to perform axial reciprocating linear motion and rotation with respect to the rotating shaft of the shaking table. Since it is equipped with a compound motion mechanism that can perform directional rocking motion at the same time, it is possible to achieve both the function of holding the shaking table horizontally and the function of realizing the optimum shaking motion for stirring the sample solution. , the sample liquid can be prevented from stagnating in a biased state in the container. In addition, since the shaking table, the compound motion mechanism, and the motor can be arranged side by side, not only can the overall height be kept low, but even if the sample liquid spills out of the container, This eliminates the risk of the sample liquid adhering to the motor. In other words, it is possible to obtain a structure of a shaker capable of uniformly stirring a sample liquid and ensuring high reliability against occurrence of failure while having a compact structure.

Moreover, the pivot link, which is one element of the compound motion mechanism, changes its posture so that the action part corresponds to the revolution of the cam ring that follows the rotation of the cam wheel, that is, to correspond to the motion curve created by the motion of the cam mechanism part. By vertically moving (swaying), the motion imparting part turns so that the slide link slides on the rotating shaft in the axial direction and the rotating direction by relative movement of the pair of upper and lower spherical bearings, so complicated mechanisms and controls are required. reciprocating linear motion and rocking motion of the shaking table can be performed simultaneously without the need for In particular, since the connecting shaft of the upper spherical bearing is configured to be slidable in the elongated upper shaft hole when the motion imparting portion rotates, the operation of imparting the pushing motion and the pulling motion to the upper spherical bearing is caused by friction. It can be smoothly performed without being hindered by an increase in resistance or prying, and the stable operation of the shaker can be ensured.

1 is a front view of a shaker showing one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is also a plan view. It is also a side view. It is also a perspective view. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state in which the rotating shaft is rotated 1/4 from the reference position; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7; FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state in which the rotating shaft is further rotated by 1/4; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state in which the rotating shaft is further rotated by 1/4; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG. 11;

1 to 12 show one embodiment of the shaker of the present invention. The shaker 11, as shown in FIGS. A motor (power source) 17 connected through a coupling 16 to the end of the shaking table 18 is supported on the rotating shaft 15, and power is obtained from the motor 17 to rotate the shaking table 18 to the rotating shaft 15. It is provided with a compound motion mechanism 19 capable of simultaneously performing reciprocating linear motion in a direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) and rocking motion in a rotational direction (direction around the axis). Various large and small containers (not shown) containing sample liquids to be shaken can be attached to and detached from the upper surface of the shaking table 18 . Various electrical components such as the motor 17 and control board are accommodated in a housing 20 provided with an operation section.

The compound motion mechanism 19 is a mechanical element that extracts the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 15 and reciprocates the shaking table 18 on the rotating shaft 15 within a certain movable range. It is arranged integrally between the motor 17 and the shaking table 18 in a connected state. The compound motion mechanism 19 includes a link base 21 provided on the upper surface of the base 12, and a slide link 22 provided on the lower surface of the shaking table 18, which engages with the rotating shaft 15 and is slidable in the axial and rotational directions. , a circular cam wheel (original joint of the cam mechanism) 23 provided at an eccentric position from the axis of the rotating shaft 15, and a cam wheel 23 that is relatively rotatable radially outwardly and around the axis of the rotating shaft 15. A telescoping cam mechanism part 25 consisting of a cam ring (a follower of the cam mechanism) 24 assembled so as to be able to revolve, and a link base 21 and a slide link 22 are tiltably connected via a pair of upper and lower spherical bearings 26 and 27. and a pivot link 28 .

These parts integrally constitute the joints and rotating parts of the compound motion mechanism 19, and are slidably connected to each other via resin sliders or collars secured with screws. For example, in the relationship between the cam wheel 23 and the cam ring 24, the collar 29 on the outer peripheral surface of the cam wheel 23 is a gap between the inner surface of the cam ring 24 that axially sandwiches the collar 29 and both side surfaces of the cam wheel 23. , the sliders 30 are evenly arranged at three locations in the circumferential direction. In the relationship between the rotating shaft 15 and the slide link 22, the slider 31 is positioned at three points in the circumferential direction at the bent portions 22a and 22b of the slide link 22 facing each other, that is, at the portion of the shaft hole 22c penetrating the rotating shaft 15. They are evenly distributed (Fig. 4).

A pair of upper and lower spherical bearings 26, 27 are composed of cylindrical cases 26a, 27a, spheres 26b, 27b held in the cases so as to be spherically slidable, and couplings provided on axes passing through the centers of the spheres. A case 26a of the upper spherical bearing 26 is attached to a plate surface 22d formed by bending the bent portion 22b of the slide link 22 further. On the other hand, the case 27 a of the lower spherical bearing 27 is attached to the upper plate surface 21 a of the link base 21 . As a result, the spherical bearings 26 and 27 are assembled via the sliders 32 and 33 in a state in which the connecting shafts 26c and 27c are inserted through the upper shaft hole 28a and the lower shaft hole 28b provided in the pivot link 28, respectively. As the pivot link 28 tilts, it is configured to be relatively movable. The lower shaft hole 28b has a circular shape corresponding to the connecting shaft 27c of the lower spherical bearing 27, while the upper shaft hole 28a has an elongated hole shape extending in the vertical direction. A shaft 26c is slidable through the elongated hole via a slider 32. As shown in FIG.

Further, the pivot link 28 is connected to a connecting piece 24a provided at the bottom of the cam ring 24, and has an action portion 28c that changes its posture in conjunction with the revolution of the cam ring 24, and a lower side along with the rocking movement of the action portion 28c. A motion imparting portion 28d that alternately imparts a pushing motion (arrow A in FIG. 2) and a pulling motion (arrow B in FIG. 2) to the upper spherical bearing 26 while rotating in the horizontal direction with the spherical bearing 27 as a fulcrum. is provided. A pair of upper and lower sliders 34 and 35 attached to the plate surface 24b of the connecting piece 24a and the action portion 28c are slidable in horizontal elongated holes 28e and 28f provided in the action portion 28c. Assembled. Further, the diameter of the upper elongated hole 28e is slightly larger than the diameter of the lower elongated hole 28f, and the degree of freedom (movable area) of the slider 34 is ensured when the action portion 28c moves up and down. In this way, the pivot link 28 forms a substantially L-shape and is connected to each part together with the functional arrangement of the vertical shaft holes 28a, 28b and the vertical elongated holes 28e, 28f.

Here, in the standard position (FIGS. 1 to 6) in which the shaking table 18 is held in a horizontal state, the pivot link 28 is moved through the connecting piece 24a of the cam ring 24 by the cam wheel 23 eccentrically rotated below the rotating shaft 15. The working portion 28c is pushed down by the force, and is positioned on the vertical plane in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15 in this state. The plate surfaces 21a, 22d, and 24b of the link base 21, the slide link 22, and the connecting piece 24a are oriented parallel to the plate surface of the pivot link 28, respectively.

When a sample is shaken using the shaker 11 formed in this manner, a container containing the sample solution is held on a shaking table 18, and the motor 17 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 15 at, for example, 10/min. It rotates in one direction at a low speed at a rotation speed. Here, hereinafter, the postures of the compound motion mechanism 19 and the shaking table 18 that change with the rotation of the rotating shaft 15 correspond to the state in which the rotating shaft 15 is rotated by 1/4 rotation (90 degrees). to explain.

First, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cam mechanism 25 rotates the cam wheel 23 in a state in which the rotating shaft 15 is rotated 1/4 (90 degrees) in the direction of arrow C in FIG. It is rotated integrally with the rotary shaft 15 and is eccentric to one side of the rotary shaft 15 (right side in FIG. 8). As a result, the cam ring 24 revolves 1/4 around the axis of the rotary shaft 15 while rotating relative to the cam wheel 23, and the connecting piece 24a is tilted by the recoil of being pulled up as a whole.

On the other hand, the action portion 28c of the pivot link 28 is pulled up with an inclination in conjunction with the movement of the connecting piece 24a. A) is given. At this time, the upper spherical bearing 26 moves so as to draw an arc orbit along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15 with the lower spherical bearing 27 as a fulcrum, and the connecting shaft 26c moves into the upper shaft hole 28a of the pivot link 28. slide along. Spherical sliding of both spherical bearings 26 and 27 act simultaneously, so that the slide link 22 is tilted in the direction opposite to the tilting direction of the pivot link 28, and axially and rotationally with respect to the rotary shaft 15. slide at the same time. That is, at the intermediate position of the push-and-rotate motion, the shaking table 18 received the curvilinear motion of the cam mechanism 25, and the plate surface 22d of the slide link 22 and the plate surface of the pivot link 28 were inclined in an inverted V shape. state, it performs a compound motion consisting of a linear motion and a tilting motion.

When the rotary shaft 15 is further rotated by 1/4 (90 degrees) from the intermediate position of the push-and-turn motion, the cam wheel 23 rotates and is eccentric above the rotary shaft 15 as shown in FIGS. As a result, the cam ring 24 makes a quarter revolution about the axis of the rotary shaft 15 while rotating relative to the cam wheel 23, and the inclination of the connecting piece 24a is returned by the reaction that the whole is pulled up. As a result, the pivot link 28 is lifted up while the action portion 28 c is tilted back in conjunction with the movement of the connecting piece 24 a , and is positioned on the vertical plane in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15 . The plate surfaces 21a, 22d, and 24b of the link base 21, the slide link 22, and the connecting piece 24a are oriented parallel to the plate surface of the pivot link 28, respectively. Thus, at the end position of the push-and-turn motion, the shaking table 18 terminates linear motion and returns to its original horizontal state by tilting motion.

When the rotating shaft 15 is further rotated by 1/4 (90 degrees) from the end position of the push-and-rotate motion, the cam wheel 23 rotates to the other side of the rotating shaft 15 (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12). 12). As a result, the cam ring 24 revolves 1/4 around the axis of the rotary shaft 15 while rotating relative to the cam wheel 23, and the connecting piece 24a is tilted by the recoil of being pushed down as a whole. As a result, the action portion 28c of the pivot link 28 is pushed down with an inclination in conjunction with the movement of the connecting piece 24a. B) is given. At this time, the upper spherical bearing 26 moves so as to draw an arc orbit along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15 with the lower spherical bearing 27 as a fulcrum, and the connecting shaft 26c moves into the upper shaft hole 28a of the pivot link 28. slide along. Spherical sliding of both spherical bearings 26 and 27 act simultaneously, so that the slide link 22 is tilted in the direction opposite to the tilting direction of the pivot link 28, and axially and rotationally with respect to the rotary shaft 15. slide at the same time. That is, at the intermediate position of the pulling motion, the shaking table 18 receives the curvilinear motion of the cam mechanism 25, and the plate surface 22d of the slide link 22 and the plate surface of the pivot link 28 are inclined in a V shape. , performs a compound motion consisting of a linear motion and a tilting motion.

When the rotating shaft 15 is further rotated by 1/4 (90 degrees) from the intermediate position of the pulling motion, the cam wheel 23 is eccentrically positioned below the rotating shaft 15 (FIGS. 1 and 5). As a result, the cam ring 24 makes a quarter revolution about the axis of the rotary shaft 15 while rotating relative to the cam wheel 23, and the inclination of the connecting piece 24a is restored by the recoil of the entirety being pushed down. As a result, the pivot link 28 is pushed down while the action portion 28 c is tilted back in conjunction with the movement of the connecting piece 24 a , and is positioned on the vertical plane in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15 . The plate surfaces 21a, 22d, and 24b of the link base 21, the slide link 22, and the connecting piece 24a are oriented parallel to the plate surface of the pivot link 28, respectively. In this way, at the end position of the pulling movement where the rotating shaft 15 has made one rotation (360 degrees), the shaking table 18 finishes linear movement and returns to the initial horizontal state, that is, the reference position by tilting movement. .

When the rotating shaft 15 continues to rotate, the pushing motion and the pulling motion described above are alternately repeated. In this continuous operating state, the pivot link 28 tilts toward the axis of the cam wheel 23 around the lower spherical bearing 27 each time the axis of the cam wheel 23 passes directly above or below the rotary shaft 15 . However, when the shaft center of the cam wheel 23 is located right beside the rotary shaft 15, the inclination angle is maximum, for example, 8 degrees with respect to the vertical plane (FIGS. 8 and 12). On the other hand, the shaking table 18 itself undergoes linear motion and tilting motion simultaneously or alternately under the action of the compound motion mechanism 19 . That is, in the motion cycle (one cycle) of the shaker 11, the shaking table 18 starts tilting from a horizontal state (reference position), and is tilted, for example, by 10 degrees in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15, for example, by 10 mm. When the linear motion is completed, the tilt is returned to the horizontal state. After that, while tilting to the opposite side, it returns 10 mm in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 15 in a state of tilting 10 degrees, and when the linear motion is completed, it returns to the original horizontal state (reference position). In this way, the shaker 11 shakes and agitates the sample liquid while repeating the reciprocating linear motion and rocking motion of the shaking table 18 until the set time has elapsed.

Thus, according to the shaker 11 of the present invention, the shaking table 18 is supported on the horizontal rotating shaft 15, and power is obtained from the motor 17 connected to the end of the rotating shaft 15 to rotate the shaking table 18. Since it is equipped with a compound motion mechanism 19 that can simultaneously perform reciprocating linear motion in the axial direction and rocking motion in the rotational direction with respect to the shaft 15, it has the function of holding the shaking table 18 horizontally and the optimal shaking for stirring the sample solution. It is possible to achieve both the function of realizing movement and the sample liquid to prevent the sample liquid from stagnation in the container in a biased state. In addition, since the shaking table 18, the compound motion mechanism 19, and the motor 17 can be collectively arranged side by side, not only can the overall height be kept low, but also the sample solution will not spill from the container. However, the possibility that the sample liquid adheres to the motor 17 is eliminated. That is, it is possible to obtain the structure of the shaker 11 that can uniformly stir the sample liquid and that can ensure high reliability against the occurrence of failure while having a compact configuration.

Moreover, the pivot link 28, which is one element of the compound motion mechanism 19, makes the action portion 28c correspond to the revolution of the cam ring 24 following the rotation of the cam wheel 23, that is, the motion curve created by the motion of the cam mechanism portion 25. By moving up and down (rocking) while changing the posture, the motion imparting portion 28d causes the pair of upper and lower spherical bearings 26 and 27 to move relative to each other, causing the slide link 22 to slide on the rotating shaft 15 in the axial direction and the rotational direction. Since the shaking table 18 is swiveled so as to rotate, the reciprocating linear motion and the rocking motion of the shaking table 18 can be performed simultaneously without requiring a complicated mechanism or control. In particular, since the connecting shaft 26c of the upper spherical bearing 26 is configured to be slidable in the elongated upper shaft hole 28a when the motion imparting portion 28d rotates, the upper spherical bearing 26 is pushed around and pulled around. The motion to apply can be performed smoothly without being hindered by an increase in frictional resistance or prying, and the stable motion of the shaker 11 can be ensured.

In addition, the compound motion mechanism 19 is integrally constructed by connecting the cam mechanism portion 25 with excellent motion characteristics and various link members 21, 22, 28, and can hold the shaking table 18 in a horizontal state during motion. Since a characteristic reciprocating motion is imparted to the container held on the shaking table 18, for example, in the case of using a tray-shaped container, even if the sample liquid is biased during tilting, the sample liquid is moved in a linear motion. Since it returns the inclination when it hits the inner wall and is turbulent, it promotes the uniform spreading of the sample liquid over the entire container. In addition, when using a petri dish, even if the sample liquid is biased during tilting, the tilt is restored when the sample liquid flows along the inner wall of the container due to linear motion. Helps the liquid spread evenly throughout the container.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the compound motion mechanism extracts motion in multiple directions from the rotational motion of one rotating shaft, and imparts linear motion and rocking motion to the shaking table. It may be changed as appropriate depending on the purpose of shaking. For example, to change the movable range of reciprocating motion, the amount of linear motion can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the upper and lower spherical bearings. can. In addition, the angle of rocking motion can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the shaft hole of the cam wheel. can be made smaller.

Furthermore, the connection structure of each part is not limited to the embodiment, and for example, the number and shape of long holes provided in the pivot link can be changed as appropriate, and the arrangement of sliders and collars is also arbitrary. In addition, even if the direction of rotation of the rotating shaft is reversed, the same effect can be obtained and, of course, it is possible to withstand high-speed motion. Then, the sample can be stirred by a simple operation of rotating the container fixed to the holder around the axis. In other words, it is possible to achieve scalability and standardization for multiple specifications, and various types of containers such as flasks and test tubes can be used in addition to standard flat-bottomed containers, realizing a highly practical shaker.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Shaker, 12... Base, 13, 14... Post, 15... Rotating shaft, 16... Coupling, 17... Motor, 18... Shaking table, 19... Compound motion mechanism, 20... Case, 21... Link base, 21a... Plate surface 22... Slide link 22a, 22b... Bend portion 22c... Shaft hole 22d... Plate surface 23... Cam wheel 24... Cam ring 24a... Connecting piece 24b... Plate surface 25... Cam mechanism Parts 26 Upper spherical bearing 26a Case 26b Sphere 26c Connecting shaft 27 Lower spherical bearing 27a Case 27b Sphere 27c Connecting shaft 28 Pivot link 28a Upper shaft Hole 28b Lower shaft hole 28c Acting portion 28d Motion imparting portion 28e Upper elongated hole 28f Lower elongated hole 29 Collar 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 Slider

Claims (2)

In a shaker that reciprocates a shaking table provided on a base and shakes a sample held on the shaking table,
a horizontal rotating shaft journaled at a set height on the base; a motor connected to the end of the rotating shaft; and a compound motion mechanism capable of simultaneously performing reciprocating linear motion in the axial direction and rocking motion in the rotational direction with respect to the rotating shaft of the shaking table. The compound motion mechanism includes a link base provided on the upper surface of the base, a slide link provided on the lower surface of the shaking table and engaged with the rotating shaft to be slidable in the axial and rotational directions, and A cam mechanism portion comprising a cam wheel provided at an eccentric position from the axis of a rotating shaft and a cam ring assembled to the cam wheel so as to be rotatable relative to the cam wheel and to revolve around the axis of the rotating shaft; and the link base. and a pivot link that is tiltably connected between the slide links via a pair of upper and lower spherical bearings,
The upper and lower pair of spherical bearings each have a case, a spherical body held in the case so as to be spherically slidable, and a connecting shaft provided on an axis passing through the center of the spherical body. The case is attached to the slide link, and the case of the lower spherical bearing is attached to the link base. configured to be relatively movable with tilting of the pivot link,
The pivot link includes an action portion connected to a lower position of the cam ring and changing its posture in conjunction with the revolution of the cam ring, and a swinging movement of the action portion to turn horizontally about the lower spherical bearing as a fulcrum. a motion imparting portion that alternately imparts a pushing motion and a pulling motion to the upper spherical bearing while
2. The shaker according to claim 1, wherein the upper shaft hole is formed in an elongated hole shape so that the connecting shaft of the upper spherical bearing can slide when the motion imparting portion rotates.

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