CLAMPING PLATFORM FOR A MECHANICAL SHAKER

Abstract

A clamping platform for a mechanical shaker, which allows automated release and fastening of microtiter plates that are subject to tolerances, includes at least two mounts arranged pairwise for the releasable fastening of the microtiter plates. The platform includes clamping jaws, on which a compression spring acts, actuatable with a link control having a linear drive. In conjunction with the compression spring, the geometry of the guide links allows compensation for the dimensional tolerances of the microtiter plates that are to be fixed by clamping. The spring force of the compression spring is determined such that the clamping jaws that are loaded by the compression spring exert the required clamping force in the deployed position onto the microtiter plates to be fixed.

Claims

1. A clamping platform for a mechanical shaker, comprising a plurality of mounts each for releasably fastening a rectangular microtiter plate on the clamping platform, the plurality of mounts forming at least one pair of mounts arranged on opposing sides of a straight line on an upper side of the clamping platform, each of the at least one pair of mounts including two mounts of the plurality of mounts, the at least one pair of mounts including two clamping jaws respectively arranged on the two mounts, each clamping jaw of the two clamping jaws being movable to and fro perpendicularly to the straight line between a deployed position and a retracted position and has a clamping face and a bearing face, the clamping face of the each clamping jaw can be brought to bear in the deployed position on a first side edge of the microtiter plate to be fastened, the at least one pair of mounts including a preloaded compression spring arranged between the bearing faces of the two clamping jaws of the two mounts, the two mounts each have a stop in a fixed position on which a second side edge of the microtiter plate to be fastened can be brought to bear, the second side edge lying opposite the first side edge, an entrainer for the at least one pair of mounts and a linear drive are arranged so that the entrainer can be moved to and fro by the linear drive along the straight line between the two mounts, the entrainer having two guide links arranged on the opposing sides of the straight line, each guide link having an outwardly facing guide edge, guide elements fastened to each of the two clamping jaws of the at least one pair of mounts each engage in one of the two guide links, the each of the two clamping jaws being movable from the retracted position into the deployed position and vice versa by the relative movement between the guide links and the guide elements, and the geometry of the two guide links is defined in such a way that the guide elements can be moved against the force of the compression springs away from the outwardly facing guide edge of the guide link during the movement of the clamping jaw from the retracted position into the deployed position.

2. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of mounts includes a plurality of pairs of mounts, a plurality of straight lines are arranged with a parallel spacing from one another on the upper side of the clamping platform and a subset of the plurality of pairs of mounts are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to each of the plurality of straight lines.

3. The clamping platform according to claim 1, further comprising a linear guide in relation to the upper side of the clamping platform, the two clamping jaws of the at least one pair of mounts can be moved to and fro perpendicularly to the straight line guided by the linear guide.

4. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the clamping face and the bearing face of the each clamping jaw are planar.

5. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein each stop is arranged in a fixed position on the clamping platform such that the microtiter plate to be fastened can be brought to bear on the stop with the second side edge and the two side edges that connect the first and the second side edge.

6. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein the linear drive has a motor-driven rotatable threaded spindle and at least one movement thread arranged on the entrainer and threadably received on the threaded spindle.

7. The clamping platform according to claim 6, wherein the threaded spindle is axially fixed and the entrainer is supported linearly displaceably along the straight line in a framework.

8. The clamping platform according to claim 6, wherein the linear drive is adapted such that the at least one movement thread of a plurality of entrainers is applied onto the threaded spindle.

9. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein each guide link is configured as a slot or groove, the guide element that engages in the guide link being located at a first end of the guide link in the retracted position of the clamping jaw and at a second end of the guide link in the deployed position of the clamping jaw.

10. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein each guide element is configured as a cylindrical pin.

11. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein the guide edge of each guide link forms an acute angle with the straight line on the upper side of the clamping platform.

12. The clamping platform according to claim 9, wherein the width of each guide link increases from the first end toward the second end.

13. A mechanical shaker having a clamping platform according to claim 1.

14. The clamping platform according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of mounts and the two guide links are arranged mirror symmetrically with respect to the straight line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The invention will be explained in more detail below with the aid of the two figures, in which

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the clamping platform of a mechanical shaker before the fastening of the microtiter plates,

[0034] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the clamping platform according to FIG. 1 with fastened microtiter plates,

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a clamping platform according to another embodiment of the invention having a plurality of pairs of mounts, and

[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the clamping platform of FIG. 1 showing a linear guide.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] In biotechnology and process technology, shaken reactor systems are used for the cultivation of biological systems. The mechanical shaker consists of a drive unit and a horizontal support, the clamping platform (1) represented in plan view in FIGS. 1 and 2 for receiving a plurality of microtiter plates (2).

[0038] For the sake of clarity only two microtiter plates (2) are represented on the surface of the clamping platform (1) in the schematic representation of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In practical embodiments, more than two microtiter plates (2) are generally fixed on the clamping platform (1) in order to parallelize a relatively large number of reactions as shown in FIG. 3, which is described in more detail below. The drive unit of the mechanical shaker is located underneath the clamping platform (1).

[0039] The clamping platform (1) in FIGS. 1 and 2 has two mounts (3) arranged as a pair (4) mirror-symmetrically with respect to a straight line (5) on the upper side of the clamping platform (1) for the releasable fastening of the two rectangular microtiter plates (2). The two mounts (3) of the pair (4) each have a clamping jaw (6), which can be moved to and fro perpendicularly to the straight line (5) between a deployed position (represented in FIG. 2) and a retracted position (represented in FIG. 1) and has a clamping face (6.1) and a bearing face (6.2). The two clamping jaws (6) of the two mounts (3) are configured to be movable to and fro perpendicularly to the straight line (5) by a linear guide (13) (the linear guide (13) is shown in FIG. 4) in relation to the upper side of the clamping platform (1). The linear guide (13) is configured as a groove formed in the upper side of the clamping platform (1), with a spring (7) that is respectively arranged on the lower side of the two clamping jaws (6) engaging in the groove.

[0040] As may be seen in FIG. 2, in the deployed position of the clamping jaws (2), the clamping faces (6.1) of the two clamping jaws (6) come to bear on a first side edge (2.1) of the microtiter plates (2) to be fastened.

[0041] The spring (7) is a preloaded compression spring (7) arranged between the bearing faces (6.2) of the two clamping jaws (6) of the pair (4).

[0042] The two mounts (3) of the pair (4) each have a stop (8), which is fastened in a fixed position on the upper side of the clamping platform (1) and on which the two microtiter plates (2) to be fastened each come to bear with a second side edge (2.2), which lies opposite the first side edge (2.1), when they are placed in the mount (3). In the exemplary embodiment, the stop (8) is configured in such a way that the microtiter plates (2) to be fastened come to bear not only with the second side edge (2.2) but furthermore on the two short side edges (2.3) that connect the first and the second side edge (2.1, 2.2). This way, the microtiter plates (2) to be fastened are gripped on three side edges (2.1,2.3,2.3) so that movement of the microtiter plates (2) in the direction of the straight line (5) due to the shaking movement of the clamping platform is prevented, regardless of the level of the clamping force exerted on the first side edge (2.1) by the clamping jaws (6).

[0043] An entrainer (9) is arranged so that it can be moved to and fro by a linear drive (10) along the straight line (5) between the two mounts (3) of the pair (4). The entrainer (9) is configured as a rectangular frame in the exemplary embodiment, two guide links (11) being introduced into the longitudinal branch of the rectangular frame, mirror-symmetrically with respect to the straight line (5). Each of the two guide links (11) is configured as a slot. An outwardly facing guide edge (11.1) of each of the two guide links (11) makes an acute angle with the straight line (5) on the upper side of the clamping platform (1). The inner edges (11.4) of the two guide links (11), however, run parallel to the straight line (5).

[0044] A guide element (12), which engages in one of the two guide links (11), is respectively fastened on the upper side of each of the two clamping jaws (6). The guide element (12) is configured as a cylindrical pin extending upwardly from the upper side of the clamping jaw (6). In the retracted position (represented in FIG. 1) of the two clamping jaws, the guide element (12) bears on the first end (11.2) of the guide link (11). By the displacement of the entrainer (9) along the straight line (5), a relative movement takes place between the guide link (11) and the guide element (12), the effect of which is that the clamping jaw (6) of each of the two mounts (3) is moved from the retracted position represented in FIG. 1 into the deployed position represented in FIG. 2. In this case, the guide element (12) initially moves along the guide edge (11.1) of the guide link (11) until the clamping face (6.1) of the clamping jaw (6) comes to bear on the side edge (2.1) of the microtiter plate (2) to be fastened.

[0045] The geometry of the two guide links (11), in particular the width of the guide link (11), the length of the guide edge (11.1) and its angle with respect to the straight line (5), is defined in such a way that the guide element (12) is moved against the force of the compression springs (7) away from the outwardly facing guide edge (11.1) of the guide link (12) in each mount (3) during the movement of the clamping jaw (6) into the deployed position, so that the compression spring (7) transmits the required pressure forces via the bearing face (6.2) of the two clamping jaws (6) onto the clamping faces (6.1) of the clamping jaws (6), and therefore onto the first side edge (2.1) of the microtiter plates (2) to be fastened. In the deployed position of the clamping jaw (6), the guide element (12) is located at the second end (11.3) of the guide link (11).

[0046] If, however, the clamping forces in the two mounts of a pair were generated only by the interaction of a guide link and a guide element engaging without play, excessive or insufficient and/or nonuniform clamping forces would occur in the two mounts due to dimensional tolerances of the microtiter plates. The geometry of the mirror-symmetrically arranged guide links (11) that receive the guide element (12) at least in sections with play, in conjunction with the pressure springs (7), therefore allows the required compensation for the tolerances of the standardised microtiter plates (2).

[0047] The linear drive (10) preferably comprises a motor-driven rotatable threaded spindle (10.1) driven by a drive motor (10.2). The threaded spindle (10.1) cooperates with at least one movement thread that is connected for conjoint rotation to the entrainer (9). By the rotation of the threaded spindle (10.1), which for the sake of clarity is not fully represented in the plan view, the entrainer (9) is moved to and fro along the straight line (5). The drive motor (10.2) of the linear drive (10) is preferably a servomotor, so that switching elements for monitoring the position of the entrainer (9) and therefore for controlling the clamping jaws (6) are superfluous.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows an arrangement of six pairs (4) of mounts (3) arranged on first and second straight lines (5). Three pairs (4) of the mounts (3) are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to the first straight line (5) on an upper side of the Figure and another three pairs (4) of mounts (3) are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to the second straight line (5) on the lower side of the Figure. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the entrainer (9) of each of the three pairs (4) of the upper straight line (5) are actuated by one linear drive (10). Likewise, the entrainers (9) of each of the three pairs (4) of the lower straight line (5) are actuated by another linear drive (10).

[0049] Thus, while there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention is applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

TABLE-US-00001 No Meaning 1. clamping platform 2. microtiter plate 2.1 first side edge 2.2 second side edge 2.3 short side edge 3. mount 4. pair 5. straight line 6. clamping jaw 6.1 clamping face 6.2 bearing face 7. compression spring 8. stop 9. entrainer 10. linear drive 10.1 threaded spindle 10.2 Drive motor 11. guide link 11.1 guide edge 11.2 first end 11.3 second end 11.4 inner edge 12. guide element