DEVICE FOR HANDLING OF CONVEYED GOODS WITHIN A BARRIER SYSTEM

Abstract

A device (1) for handling of conveyed goods (2) within a barrier system (3), comprising a manipulator (4) arranged in the barrier system (3) and having a magnetic actuator (5) for applying a magnetic force (6) to the conveyed goods (2), having a design-dependent magnetic acting direction (6) of the magnetic force (7), wherein the manipulator (4) is arranged inside the barrier system (3) and is adapted to coupling the conveyed goods (2) with the magnetic force (7) to the manipulator (4) and moving them with the manipulator (4) within the barrier system (3).

Claims

1. A device (1) for handling of conveyed goods (2) within a barrier system (3), comprising a manipulator (4) arranged in the barrier system (3) and having a magnetic actuator (5) for applying a magnetic force (6) to the conveyed goods (2), having a design-dependent magnetic acting direction (6) of the magnetic force (7), wherein the manipulator (4) is arranged inside the barrier system (3) and is configured for coupling the conveyed goods (2) with the magnetic force (7) to the manipulator (4) and moving the conveyed goods (2) with the manipulator (4) within the barrier system (3).

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic actuator (5) comprises at least one electromagnet.

3. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the manipulator (4) is configured for moving the conveyed goods (2) with a direction of movement (8) having at least one direction component parallel to the magnetic acting direction (6) of the magnetic force (7).

4. The device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic acting direction (6) of the magnetic force (7) and the direction of movement (8) of the conveyed goods (2) run in parallel.

5. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the conveyed goods (2) comprise a material with magnetic properties.

6. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the conveyed goods (2) are a transport container (9) for a material.

7. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic actuator (5) is arranged on a manipulator head (10), which can turn about an axis of rotation (11) oriented parallel to the magnetic acting direction (6).

8. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the conveyed goods comprise a coupling element (12) having magnetic properties.

9. The device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the coupling element (12) and the magnetic actuator (5) have respectively at least one north pole magnetic element (13) and at least one south pole magnetic element (14), wherein the magnetic actuator (5) can be brought into a first orientation (15) or a second orientation (16) relative to the coupling element (12), wherein the magnetic elements (13, 14) in a first orientation (15) interact such that an attracting magnetic force (7) is created from the magnetic actuator (5) to the coupling element (12) and wherein the magnetic elements (13, 14) in a second orientation (15) interact such that a repelling magnetic force (7) is created from the magnetic actuator (5) to the coupling element (12).

10. The device (1) according to claim 9, wherein a third orientation (23) is also provided in addition to the first orientation (15) and the second orientation (16), in which both attracting magnetic forces (7) and repelling magnetic forces (7) interact such that no resulting force from the magnetic actuator (5) impinges on the coupling element (12).

11. The device (1) according to claim 9, wherein north pole magnetic elements (13) and south pole magnetic elements (14) are arranged in alternation on a track (17) circulating about an axis of rotation (11) of the magnetic actuator (5), so that a first orientation or a second orientation of the magnetic actuator (5) relative to the coupling element can be produced by a turning of the magnetic actuator (5) about the axis of rotation.

12. The device (1) according to claim 10, wherein north pole magnetic elements (13) and south pole magnetic elements (14) are arranged in alternation on a track (17) circulating about an axis of rotation (11) of the magnetic actuator (5), so that a first orientation or a second orientation of the magnetic actuator (5) relative to the coupling element can be produced by a turning of the magnetic actuator (5) about the axis of rotation.

13. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the manipulator (4) is arranged in the barrier system (3) lying opposite a docking port (18), wherein a transfer device (19) for the transport of the conveyed goods (2) to the barrier system (3) can be placed against the docking port (18) and the docking port (18) is adapted to form an outwardly sealed passageway (20) from the transfer device (19) to the barrier system (3), while the conveyed goods (2) can be transported with the magnetic actuator (5) from the transfer device (19) through the passageway (20) to the docking port (18) and the barrier system (3).

14. The device (1) according to claim 13, wherein the docking port (18) comprises a first door (21), which closes the docking port (18), and wherein the transfer device (19) comprises a second door (22), which closes the transfer device (19), while the docking port (18) is adapted to interact with the transfer device (19) such that the first door (21) and the second door (22) are opened when the outwardly sealed passageway (20) is established from the transfer device (19) to the docking port (18) and the barrier system (3).

15. A barrier system (3), comprising at least one device (1) for handling of conveyed) goods (2) within the barrier system (3) according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] The invention and the technical environment of the invention shall be explained more closely in the following with the aid of the figures. The figures show preferred exem-plary embodiments, without the invention being limited to them. It should be pointed out in particular that the figures and especially the size relations shown in the figures are only schematic. There are shown:

[0057] FIG. 1: a schematic representation of a described device, and

[0058] FIG. 2: a front view of a magnetic actuator of a described device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a described device 1 having a barrier system 3 as well as a manipulator 4 arranged in the barrier system 3. The manipulator 4 is preferably electrically operated and it is adapted to carry out the transport and the processing of conveyed goods 2 within the barrier system 3. The conveyed goods 2 can be, for example, a sample or a sample array, consisting of a number of individual samples, which are being subjected to a special investiga-tion or handling in the barrier system 3. In the schematic FIG. 1, means for performing the in-vestigations and processing of the sample are not shown.

[0060] The conveyed goods 2 can preferably be brought into the barrier system 3 with a transfer device 19. The transfer device 19 is preferably a closed space, which can be hermetically sealed off for the transport of the conveyed goods 2, in order to maintain the purity of the conveyed goods 2. The transfer device 19 preferably forms a kind of barrier system in itself. The transfer device 19 can preferably be closed off at a docking port 18 of the barrier system 3 so that an outwardly sealed (outside the barrier system 3) passageway 20 can be produced, through which the conveyed goods 2 can be moved from the transfer device 19 to the barrier system 3. The transfer device 19 in particular is suited to transporting the conveyed goods from one barrier system 3 to another barrier system 3, in which case both clean rooms 3 each have a described docking port 18. The docking port 18 of the barrier system 3 preferably has a first door 21, with which the docking port 18 can be closed when no transfer device 19 is connected to it. The transfer device 19 preferably has a second door 22, with which the transfer device 19 can be closed when the transfer device 19 is not connected to a docking port 18 of a barrier system 3. The transfer device 19 and the docking port 18 preferably interact such that the first door 21 and the second door 22 are opened when the sealed passageway 20 is produced from the transfer device 19 to the docking port 18 and the barrier system 3. Preferably, upon connecting the transfer device 19 to the docking port 18 a coupling of the first door 21 and the second door 22 occurs, so that both doors 21, 22 can be opened at the same time. When the transfer device 19 and the docking port 18 are tightly connected to each other, an opening of the doors 21, 22 occurs, preferably automatically, in that a door opening mechanism is activated.

[0061] The conveyed goods 2 are preferably taken up in a transport container 9, with which the conveyed goods 2 can be transported.

[0062] The manipulator 4 preferably has a manipulator head 10 with a magnetic actuator 5. Especially preferably, the magnetic actuator 5 with the manipulator head 10 can turn about the axis of rotation 11. The transport container 9 for the conveyed goods 2 preferably has a coupling element 12. The magnetic actuator 5 is designed to be coupled to the coupling element 12 and then to move the transport container 9 and the conveyed goods 2 with the manipulator 4. The magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 preferably have magnetic elements 13, 14, and preferably both the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 each have north pole magnetic elements 13 and south pole magnetic elements 14. Each of the north pole magnetic elements 13 of the magnetic actuator 5 attract south pole magnetic elements 14 of the coupling element 12 and vice versa. The interaction of the north pole magnetic elements 13 and the south pole magnetic elements 14 of the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 shall be described more closely below with the aid of FIG. 2. An attrac-tive magnetic force 7 or a repulsive magnetic force 7 between the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 acts with a magnetic acting direction 6. The device 1, especially the manipulator 4 of the device 1, is preferably adapted to bring about a movement of the conveyed goods 2 or the transport container 9 in a direction of movement 8 having at least one direc-tional component which is parallel to the magnetic acting direction 6. FIG. 1 shows a variant embodiment in which the direction of movement 8 of the conveyed goods 2 or the transport container 9 is parallel to the magnetic acting direction 6.

[0063] A preferred layout of the magnetic actuator 5 shall be explained with the aid of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the magnetic actuator 5 in a front view, which is represented in FIG. 1 with the viewing direction A. The magnetic actuator 5 can preferably turn about an axis of rotation 11, which is represented in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2. The magnetic actuator 5 preferably has an even number of north pole magnetic elements 13 and an even number of south pole magnetic elements 14, which are arranged here distributed about the axis of rotation 11 on a circulating track 17. In the variant embodiment of FIG. 2, precisely two north pole magnetic elements 13 and two south pole magnetic elements 14 are present.

[0064] The magnetic actuator 5 is designed to interact with a coupling element 12, having an arrangement of north pole magnetic elements 13 and south pole magnetic elements 14 corresponding to the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 for the magnetic actuator 5. A degree of overlap or superpositioning of north pole magnetic elements 13 and south pole magnetic elements 14 of the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 depends on the angular orientation of the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 relative to the axis of rotation. By rotating the magnetic actuator 5, this degree of overlap or superpositioning can be deliberately adjusted. A first orientation 15 can be adjusted in which the north pole magnetic elements 13 of the magnetic actuator 5 are arranged precisely opposite the south pole magnetic elements 14 of the coupling element 12 and vice versa, so that a (maximum) attraction is achieved between the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12. A second orientation 16 can be adjusted in which the north pole magnetic elements 13 of the magnetic actuator 5 are arranged precisely opposite the north pole magnetic elements 13 of the coupling element 12, and the same then holds for the south pole magnetic elements 14, so that a (maximum) repulsion is achieved between the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12. Preferably, a third orientation 23 can also be adjusted, in which repelling forces and attracting forces between the magnetic actuator 5 and the coupling element 12 cancel each other out, so that the magnetic actuator 5 can be moved without this having relevant effects on the coupling element 12. The magnetic actuator 5 can preferably be placed in such a third orientation 23 in order to loosen the magnetic actuator 5 from the coupling element 12 and/or to place the magnetic actuator 5 closer to the coupling element 12 or further away from the coupling element 12, without any uncontrolled effects of the magnetic forces occurring, such as a sudden unintended attraction or repulsion of the coupling element 12.

[0065] It may happen that mechanical torques are produced on the coupling element 12 due to rotations of the magnetic actuator 5 about the axis of rotation 11. Such mechanical torques may cause, e.g., a tilting of a transport container 9 for the conveyed goods 2. In order to counteract such mechanical torques during a rotation of the magnetic actuator 5, there is optionally a guide 24 for the transport container 9 or the conveyed goods 2, being shown sche-matically in FIG. 1. Such a guide can be arranged in the barrier system 3 and be extended into the transfer device 19 after producing the sealed passageway 20, or vice versa. Preferably, the transport container 9 or the conveyed goods 2 will be guided by such a guide 24 during the movement out from the transfer device 19 or into the transfer device 19. The guide 24 can interact for example with a guide bolt 25 on the transport container 9, which runs in the guide 24 as in a rail and is adapted to absorb mechanical torques arising from a turning of the magnetic actuator 5 about the axis of rotation 11.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0066] 1 Device [0067] 2 Conveyed goods [0068] 3 Barrier system [0069] 4 Manipulator [0070] 5 Magnetic actuator [0071] 6 Magnetic acting direction [0072] 7 Magnetic force [0073] 8 Direction of movement [0074] 9 Transport container [0075] 10 Manipulator head [0076] 11 Axis of rotation [0077] 12 Coupling element [0078] 13 North pole magnetic element [0079] 14 South pole magnetic element [0080] 15 First orientation [0081] 16 Second orientation [0082] 17 Circulating track [0083] 18 Docking port [0084] 19 Transfer device [0085] 20 Passageway [0086] 21 First door [0087] 22 Second door [0088] 23 Third orientation [0089] 24 Guide [0090] 25 Guide bolt