WO2013178218A1

WO2013178218A1 - Self-opening vacuum can/box

Info

Publication number: WO2013178218A1
Application number: PCT/DE2013/100173
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Marek; Torsten Scherer
Original assignee: Karlsruher Institut Für Technologie (Kit)
Priority date: 2012-05-30
Filing date: 2013-05-10
Publication date: 2013-12-05
Also published as: EP2855004A1; DE102012104636B3

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuating device (2) for moving a cover (3) relative to a mounting (4) which receives the cover in a movable manner and to a vacuum container (1) comprising said actuating device. The aim of the invention is to allow the cover (3) to be moved relative to the mounting (4) as determined by the system and without auxiliary measures. This is achieved in that a mechanical energy store (6), which adjusts a force between the cover (3) and the mounting (4), and an expansion body (11), which has a closed volume (18) and which adjusts a counterforce that acts against said force dependent on a thermodynamic state variable in the surroundings of the actuating device (2), are provided between the cover (3) and the mounting (4) along a movement path.

Description

Actuating device for displacing a lid relative to a holder and

Vacuum container with this

The invention relates to an actuating device for displacing a lid relative to a holder receiving this displaceable and a vacuum container with this.

A lid in its most general form separates one volume from another,

For example, it closes an opening of a container from the environment. In this sense, an actuator by displacement of the lid against a fixed, for example, arranged on a container or a wall holder opening or closing the opening at least partially before. Such actuators are operated manually or by a drive and therefore require access. In environments in which this access is not manually possible or difficult, sometimes complicated measures to operate the lid must be made.

For example, under normal environmental conditions, sensitive materials are transported and stored in containers. In order to study or treat these materials in other ways, complex Schleusungsvorgänge are necessary to spend the materials under the exclusion of environmental conditions of a protective environment in the other. In this case, appropriate containers such as vacuum containers are placed in under protective gas or evacuated examination devices such as scanning electron microscopes, analyzers and the like or manipulation devices such as glove boxes and the like. Afterwards, the vacuum container must be opened. For this purpose, DE 10 2008 062 080 A1, for example, discloses a device for transporting atmospheresensitive samples. A tightly closing sample chamber is formed here by a lid and a container, which can be opened by means of a rotary closure. To open the rehearsal room, the container must be held tight and the lid must be turned off or moved in the opposite direction. Such manipulation devices are not available in many examination and manipulation facilities.

The object of the invention is the development of an actuating device for displacing a lid relative to a receiving this holder, in which a displacement takes place automatically and without external manipulation. Furthermore, object of the invention to provide a vacuum container with this actuator. The object is solved by the features of claim 1 concerning an actuator and the features of claim 10 relating to a vacuum container. The dependent claims relating to these claims relate to advantageous embodiments.

An actuating device for displacing a cover relative to a holder accommodating the latter displaceably contains a mechanical energy store between lid and holder along a displacement path between the cover and the holder and an expansion body which adjusts the force counteracting the force depending on a thermodynamic state variable in the environment of the actuating device with closed volume. With appropriate design of the mechanical energy storage and the expansion body causes the lid relative to the holder, for example in the form of a wall or a container in a first environment, for example, ambient air assumes a first position and changing one or more selected state variables by reaction of the expansion body on a second environment, for example, occupies a second position in an examination device. Here, the reaction of the expansion body causes the force of the mechanical energy storage counteracting counterforce. Here, the thermodynamic state variable is preferably an effective on the closed volume of the expansion body intensive size such as temperature and / or pressure. As a result of the general laws of gas can be changed from temperature and pressure differences, the volume of the expansion body and volume work to be done, which forms a counterforce to the mechanical energy storage, which varies depending on the environment.

In an advantageous embodiment, the energy storage bias the lid in the closed state against the holder and the expansion body with changing state variable shift the lid against the action of the energy storage in an open position. Here, for example, the lid can be displaced by means of the expansion body under tensile stress, if its volume is increased, for example, at decreasing pressure and / or increasing temperature. Alternatively, the lid can be displaced against the action of the energy storage in an opening or closing position by means of a compressive stress at magnifying volume.

The expansion body may for example be designed in the sense of a piston / cylinder unit, wherein the piston in the cylinder due to the change of a thermody- Namischen state variable, axially displaced, for example, with changing pressure or temperature and thus causes the displacement of the lid. For this purpose, the piston / cylinder unit is effectively arranged between the cover and the holder. Here, the lid about a pivot bearing relative to the support tilting or in a further embodiment with respect to the holder about a rotation axis rotatable öeek-el-be provided, for which purpose the expansion body is tangent to the pivot point hinged to the lid and rotatably connected to the holder. Preferably, the expansion body is designed as an elastic, arranged between the cover and the holder cavernous body, which may be, for example, a balloon or inflatable body and on the one hand to the lid and on the other hand, the holder is attached. Due to a change in shape of the erectile tissue by changing its closed volume at pressure and / or temperature changes its environment brings this Schwellkörper the necessary counterforce to the force of the mechanical energy storage and displaced automatically and without additional actuator or drive elements lid and bracket against each other.

To increase the volume change of the closed volume over the exclusive change due to temperature and / or pressure of a gas may be provided in a particularly advantageous manner, a solid / gaseous or liquid / gaseous phase transition, in the range of change in the thermal state variable in the environment of the actuator is effective. For example, the closed volume of the expansion body may be filled at least partially with a liquid boiling at a temperature and / or pressure provided for an actuation. If, for example, the pressure in the area of the actuating device is lowered and / or the temperature is raised, a liquid such as water and the like can change from the liquid to the gaseous state and thus increase its volume many times and therefore increase the counterforce-forming effect.

The mechanical energy store can be formed from a spring device with one or more screw, spiral, membrane, leaf, disc springs and the like. Alternatively or additionally, the mechanical energy storage of elastic materials, for example, as an organic buffer, for example, plastic, rubber or rubber and the like may be formed. The mechanical energy storage supports a displacement of the lid relative to the holder in the opening and closing direction relative to a component with the holder, for example a container or a wall in the opposite direction to the force of the expansion body. The bearing of the lid relative to the holder can be linear, rotary or pivoting. For example, the lid can be moved in a linear bearing arrangement relative to a component in the sense of a sliding window against an opening. Accordingly, the mechanical energy storage and the expansion body are arranged linearly effective as antagonists in the sliding direction of the lid. In a rotary bearing the cover relative to the holder about an axis of rotation in the same plane is rotatable, wherein the cover has a cutout which is arranged in the open state with a section of the support member carrying the cover and the cover in the closed state in the existing component Section covered. The mechanical energy storage and the expansion body are arranged in this case tangential to the rotational movement of the lid effectively as antagonists. In a preferred embodiment, the lid and holder can be connected to each other by means of a pivot bearing rotatable one another as tiltable in the sense of a door or window stop. Here, the mechanical energy storage and the expansion body are effectively arranged as antagonists about the axis of rotation. It has proven to be advantageous in this case if the cover has a curvature and a swelling body forming the expansion body is arranged over at least part of the curvature and the rotary bearing is fastened crosswise between the cover and the holder. In particular during a closing operation of the lid in the region of a sealing member with this, such as bottom plate, container and the like to achieve a secure seal, for example, against a ring seal or the like, the pivot bearing may be provided elastically biased play related to its axis of rotation and preferably against the axis of rotation.

According to the inventive idea, a vacuum container is provided which the

contains proposed actuator. The holder in the form of a bottom plate or a container and the lid thereby close between a sample volume and are sealed in a closed state against each other. The lid may be arranged on the front side of a cylindrical container, for example, or on the side of a container, for example on a flat side or cylinder jacket surface. Furthermore, the bottom plate may have an area for receiving a sample, over which a curved lid is closed.

The vacuum container is used in a particularly advantageous manner the transport and the

Storage of atmosphere-sensitive substances and samples, for example with a corresponding composition and / or corresponding surface structure, between two protective environments, for example a preparation site and a measuring chamber of an analytical device for its characterization. Due to the self-opening function of the vacuum container, such measuring chambers can be designed simply and without further manipulation tools for opening the vacuum container. For example, applying a vacuum that is necessary anyway is sufficient to open the proposed vacuum container by expanding the expansion body, for example, under vacuum, and closing the closing force of the mechanical energy accumulator as a result of the counterforce developing therefrom, thereby opening the vacuum container.

Under normal pressure, at least one is preferably in the vacuum container

Residual vacuum applied, which supports the closing action of the mechanical energy storage. In addition, for example, by means of at least one valve provided in the vacuum container, the pressure in the vacuum container can vary, a protective gas can be flushed in and / or the vacuum container can be opened. Furthermore, wire feedthroughs for heating, electrical communication and the like may be provided for monitoring the internal conditions and manipulation of the interior of the vacuum container. Furthermore, means for monitoring the pressure and / or the temperature may be provided in the vacuum container, for example in a sample volume. For monitoring a vacuum, for example, a further swelling body can be provided in a particularly simple manner, on the basis of which degree of filling the quality of the vacuum can at least be estimated. Furthermore, intended wire feedthroughs can be used to carry out experiments, for example a measurement of solar cells in the case of a translucent lid and the like.

The actuator and a vacuum container with this are particularly suitable for all applications in which a separation between an indoor environment and atmospheric conditions, regardless of which side is the damaging, is required. For example, atmosphere-sensitive substances can be protected from the atmosphere and atmospheric-dependent processes can be protected from vacuum. For example, in this case, an astronaut helmet or a lock in space can be self-closing depending on an action of vacuum. Applications in atmospherically sensitive materials may be advantageously provided, for example, in research, development, and production of battery and accumulator technology (e.g., lithium and its compounds), BioHazard, genetics, medical, nuclear, and the like. For example, in the BioHazard and Nuclear Technology field, the harmful effects of a content of the vacuum chamber, a protection of the external atmosphere may be provided in front of the interior of the vacuum vessel.

The proposed vacuum containers can be advantageous for example in the development of batteries, organic solar cells, sensor materials, fuel cells, hydrogen storage materials, vaccines, optical components and the like, in which surface-sensitive layers and contaminated materials are produced in glove boxes (glovebox) with exclusion of air and water. as long as they are not sealed with a metal electrode, a capping layer, a case, or the like. The morphology of their surfaces has a significant influence on the efficiency and is therefore examined before the sealing by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By means of the vacuum container, it is possible to introduce the samples to be examined into the scanning electron microscope without any contact with the atmosphere.

The materials of the vacuum container are directed according to their advantageous

Application. It has proven to be advantageous if the lid is transparent and vacuum-proof made of glass or plastic and the container or the bottom plate made of metal. Furthermore, in order to achieve autoclaveability of the vacuum container, materials used in particular for use for biological materials can be designed for a resistance at temperatures greater than 120 ° C. In this case, the expansion body may also be made of correspondingly resistant material or as well as for replacement in case of damage or prevention of damage in an autoclave by a self-adjusting in the closed volume pressure in a simple manner removable as can be provided aushängbar to the vacuum vessel. Autoclaving with the vacuum container open can be achieved, in particular, if a liquid is used in the expansion body which under autoclaving conditions builds up a greater pressure in the expansion body, for example by having a lower boiling point than the water normally used during hot steam sterilization. As a result, the vacuum container is kept open and closes automatically after cooling, so that the sample chamber of the vacuum container and its environment are germ-free.

Furthermore, an exchangeability of the expansion body may be advantageous to

For example, the opening time to various external pressures and / or Außenentempe- to adapt to For this purpose, to set a shift criterion of the lid with respect to the holder of the actuating device and the vacuum container with this one or more liquids can be provided with different boiling point in the closed volume of the expansion body. For example, an opening of the lid, depending on the boiling point of the expansion body filling can be set to different ambient pressures, which is achieved for example at low pressures (high-quality vacuum) with the addition of water, medium pressures with the addition of ethanol and higher pressures with the addition of dichloromethane. The same applies to selected temperatures, for example, a lid displaced by means of an expansion body filled with water is essentially displaced only at temperatures greater than 100 °, while with the use of dichloromethane a shift already takes place by temperatures around 40 °. It is understood that further solids and / or liquids are included with corresponding to the desired displacement of the lid adapted sublimation or boiling points of the invention. The choice of expansion body filling also affects the closing time before reaching the atmospheric pressure and thus also the residual vacuum that remains in the can. It is understood that a suitable shielding gas is used to protect the sample during flooding of a vacuum chamber, for example, surrounding the measuring chamber.

As an alternative to controlling the displacement of the lid by means of an applied vacuum, the lid can be displaced without substantially changing the pressure by means of a change in the thermostated temperature, for example. For example, by means of supplied heat of a heating plate, a heating element provided in a bottom plate of the container and the like and at least partial filling of the expansion body with a liquid or a mixture of several liquids with a predetermined boiling point, a predetermined displacement temperature such as opening temperature can be set. For example, opens a container filled with dichloromethane expansion body at about 40 ° C under inert gas at atmospheric pressure. Under heat extraction, such a trained container closes automatically. When the expansion body first cools down after switching off the heat supply, the still warm container closes and, after complete cooling, generates a negative pressure in the interior which closes it even more tightly. Alternatively, a container can be provided which opens when cooled or overpressure. If, for example, a solid having a predetermined sublimation point, for example carbon dioxide, is used as the filling in the expansion body, this keeps the enclosed volume under normal conditions, so that counterpressure counteracting the force of the mechanical energy store closes the lid in a closed position. holds this position. Upon cooling or overpressure, the trapped volume decreases and the mechanical energy storage device gains excess weight and opens the container.

It should be understood that the invention encompasses any form of displacement of the lid relative to the holder. For example, the cover may have a latching function or brake to prevent inadvertent closing of a vacuum container when the external vacuum collapses. For this purpose, a corresponding lock can be provided mechanically and be activated or deactivated by means of a conscious modulation of the controlling state variable - pressure and / or temperature. Thus, after initial evacuation of the environment, the lid could open and activate a latching function, which is deactivated again after a brief increase in pressure, and only after renewed evacuation followed by an increase in pressure, the lid can be fully closed again, such as when opening upwards Cupboard doors is provided, which can only fully close again when they are raised again. For this purpose, it is also possible, for example, to provide a plurality of expansion bodies switching at different state conditions, which on the one hand shift the cover and on the other hand activate / deactivate a lock. In this way, in particular damage to, for example, introduced for measurement purposes in the vacuum container or brought close to the sample, costly probes in collapsing vacuum can be avoided. Furthermore, stoppers and stops may be provided to limit the displacement of the lid.

In the vacuum container may be provided means for monitoring and examination of the interior. For example, can be provided to the outside via wire feedthroughs or wirelessly communicating and powered sensors or manipulators. For example, in the interior of the vacuum container, the pressure, the temperature and / or the internal atmosphere, for example the residual moisture, the residual oxygen content, for example by means of a slightly oxidizing sample of an alkali or alkaline earth metal, and the like detected and directly through a display or the like inside the vacuum vessel displayed and / or transmitted to the outside for further signal processing.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2. Hereby show:

FIG. 1 shows a 3D view of a vacuum container with an actuating device in the closed state

and

Figure 2 is a 3D view of the vacuum container of Figure 1 in the open state.

FIG. 1 shows a 3D view of the vacuum container 1 with the actuating device 2 in the closed state. The arched - shown here transparent - cover 3 is on one side of the holder 4, which also forms the bottom plate 5, taken to the axis of rotation d displaced. The mechanical energy store 6, which is designed here as a helical spring 7 arranged about the axis of rotation d, clamps the lid 3 with respect to the base plate with the force acting as a closing force. As a result, enclosed between the bottom plate 5 and lid 3 sample space 8 is closed, between which the ring seal 9 is arranged. In order to achieve a plane-parallel contact of the lid 3 to the ring seal 9, the lid 3 is added to the bearing 10 in the radial direction of the axis of rotation d play. To support the closing force of the lid 3 relative to the bottom plate 5, a vacuum can be applied in the sample space 8 or an existing vacuum can be reinforced. For this purpose, a non-visible pressure valve can be provided.

Between the holder 4 and the lid 3, the expansion body 11 is arranged effectively. In the embodiment shown, this is arranged as Schwellkörper 12, the bulge 13 of the lid 3 across at a first end 14 with the bearing 10 opposite the receptacle 15 and by means of a second end 16 with the holder 4 attached to the receptacle 17, the bearing 10th firmly connected across, for example, is mounted. The cavernous body 12 contains a closed volume 18 which is filled with a gas or at least partially with a liquid. Due to a change in at least one external state variable, for example temperature or pressure, the closed volume 18 of the swelling body 12 changes, so that its length is shortened and exerts a counterforce to the force exerted by the mechanical energy store 6, which lifts off due to the set lever kinematics of the lid 3 leads from the bottom plate 5. Depending on the filling of the closed volume 18, the counterforce is greater than the force at a predetermined pressure such as negative pressure or vacuum and / or at a predetermined temperature, in particular when a liquid present in the closed volume 18 exceeds the boiling point. Figure 2 shows the vacuum container 1 in the open state with lifted from the holder 4 with the bottom part cover 3 and expansion body 11 with increased volume 18 and thus shortened ends 14, 16. The bearing 10 and the holder 4 has a stop, not shown for limiting the Displacement angle of the lid 3. The receiving surface 19 for a sample has, for example, the recess 20 for receiving a sample holder. The ring seal 9 and the planar sealing surface 21 form the sealing device in the closed state of the vacuum container 1.

Vacuum tank

actuator

cover

bracket

baseplate

energy storage

coil spring

sample space

ring seal

camp

expansion body

erectile tissue

bulge

The End

admission

The End

admission

volume

receiving surface

recess

sealing surface

axis of rotation

Claims

claims

1. actuating device (2) for displacing a cover (3) relative to a displaceable receiving holder (4), characterized in that between the cover (3) and holder (4) along a displacement path a force between the cover (3) and holder (4) adjusting mechanical energy store (6) and depending on a in the environment of the actuating device (2) thermodynamic state variable of the force counteracting counterforce adjusting expansion body (11) with closed volume (18) are provided.

2. Actuating device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the thermodynamic state variable is a gas pressure and / or an ambient temperature and the closed volume (18) changes depending on this.

3. Actuating device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the energy store (6) biases the cover (3) in the closed state against the holder (4) and the expansion body (11) with changing state variable, the cover (3 ) opens against the action of the energy store (6).

4. Actuating device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the expansion body (11) is an elastic, between the lid (3) and holder arranged cavernous body (12).

5. Actuating device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the closed volume (18) of the expansion body (11) is at least partially filled with a boiling at a temperature and / or an intended pressure liquid ,

6. Actuating device (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that one or more liquids and / or solids with a predetermined boiling point or sublimation point are provided for setting a shift criterion.

7. Actuating device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that cover (3) and holder (4) by means of a bearing (10) are connected to one another rotatably.

8. Actuating device (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the cover (3) has a curvature (3) and an expansion body (11) forming Schwellkörper (12) arranged over at least a portion of the curvature (13) and between the cover (3) and holder (4) the bearing (10) is fixed across.

9. Actuating device (2) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the bearing (10) is provided with play radially with respect to its axis of rotation (d).

10. Vacuum container (1) with an actuating device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the holder (4) in the form of a bottom plate (5) and the lid (3) between them include a sample space (8) and are sealed against each other in a closed state.

11. Vacuum container (1) according to 10, characterized in that the sample space (8) can be evacuated.

12. Vacuum container (1) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that means for monitoring the pressure, the temperature and / or the internal atmosphere are provided in the sample space.