LABORATORY STORAGE CABINET WITH A ROTARY ELEMENT IN A TRANSFER AIR LOCK

Abstract

A laboratory storage cabinet, including a cabinet housing, which delimits a storage space inside the cabinet housing from an outer surrounding area of the storage cabinet, wherein the cabinet housing has an air lock, which allows the transport of material between an inner transfer position, situated in the storage space, and an outer transfer position, situated in the outer surrounding area, wherein the storage space contains a storage device for receiving material at defined storage positions, and wherein the storage space contains a material-handling device for transporting material between the inner transfer position and the storage device, wherein, in a wall of the cabinet housing, the air lock has an air-lock opening, which passes through the wall, the air lock having a rotary element, which is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation in relation to the cabinet housing and has at least one loading formation, which is fitted in the air-lock opening in such a way that the loading formation can be moved between the inner transfer position and the outer transfer position by rotation of the rotary element about the axis of rotation.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A laboratory storage cabinet, comprising a cabinet housing which demarcates a storage space inside the cabinet housing from an external environment of the storage cabinet, where the cabinet housing comprises an air lock which allows material transport between an inner transfer position located in the storage space and an outer transfer position located in the external environment, where in the storage space there is present a storage device for accommodating material at defined storage positions and where in the storage space there is present a manipulation device for material transport between the inner transfer position and the storage device, where the air lock exhibits an air lock aperture in a wall of the cabinet housing which penetrates through the wall, the air lock comprises a rotating body mounted rotatably relative to the cabinet housing about an axis of rotation, having at least one loading formation which is installed in the air lock aperture in such a way that the loading formation is displaceable about the axis of rotation between the inner and the outer transfer position through rotation of the rotating body.

17. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 16, wherein the rotating body exhibits at least two loading formations, of which one first loading formation is situated in one transfer position out of the outer and inner transfer positions when a second loading formation different from the first one is situated in the respective other transfer position.

18. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 17, wherein the first loading formation is physically separated from the second loading formation by a partition of the rotating body.

19. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 18, wherein in the region of the partition there is arranged a partition material configured separately from the rest of the rotating body, having a lower specific thermal conductivity and/or having a lower heat transfer coefficient than a material used predominantly to form the rotating body.

20. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 16, wherein at least one component out of the rotating body and the cabinet housing wall with air lock aperture exhibits a seal with a sealing surface which is configured for sealing abutment against the respective other component.

21. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 20, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a sealing surface clamping device, by means of which the sealing surface of a seal of at least one component is clampable towards the respective other component and unclampable in the opposite direction.

22. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 21, wherein by means of the sealing surface clamping device the sealing surface is displaceable towards the respective other component and away from the latter.

23. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 22, wherein only the sealing surface of the seal of one component out of the rotating body and the cabinet housing wall with air lock aperture is clampable by the sealing surface clamping device towards the respective other component and unclampable in the opposite direction, whereas a sealing counterface of a seal of the respective other component which is in sealing abutment engagement with the clampable and unclampable sealing surface of the first component is deformable by the clampable sealing surface.

24. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 21, wherein only the sealing surface of the seal of one component out of the rotating body and the cabinet housing wall with air lock aperture is clampable by the sealing surface clamping device towards the respective other component and unclampable in the opposite direction, whereas a sealing counterface of a seal of the respective other component which is in sealing abutment engagement with the clampable and unclampable sealing surface of the first component is deformable by the clampable sealing surface.

25. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 24, wherein the sealing surface clamping device is configured to introduce gas into a seal interior space of a hollow seal component and/or comprises a pinching device which is configured to deform the seal in a first direction in order to displace thereby the sealing surface in a second direction which differs from the first one.

26. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 21, wherein the sealing surface clamping device is configured to introduce gas into a seal interior space of a hollow seal component and/or comprises a pinching device which is configured to deform the seal in a first direction in order to displace thereby the sealing surface in a second direction which differs from the first one.

27. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 26, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a frame which surrounds the air lock aperture and the rotating body, where the frame as a pinching device exhibits two frame components which between them define a gap in which the seal is accommodated, where furthermore a pinch drive is provided by means of which at least one frame component can be moved nearer to the respective frame component under a decrease of the gap dimension between the frame components.

28. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 25, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a frame which surrounds the air lock aperture and the rotating body, where the frame as a pinching device exhibits two frame components which between them define a gap in which the seal is accommodated, where furthermore a pinch drive is provided by means of which at least one frame component can be moved nearer to the respective frame component under a decrease of the gap dimension between the frame components.

29. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 16, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a rotary drive for the rotation of the rotating body.

30. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 21, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a rotary drive for the rotation of the rotating body, the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a control device which is configured at least for controlling the rotary drive and for controlling the sealing surface clamping device, where the control device is configured to unclamp a clamped sealing surface before operation of the rotary drive and/or to clamp an unclamped sealing surface after operation of the rotary drive.

31. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 16, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet comprises at least one transfer sensor in order to detect a change in the loading situation of the loading formation in the outer transfer position, and/or comprises at least one engagement sensor in order to detect whether an object protrudes from outside the rotating body into its movement space.

32. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 16 wherein the sealing surface clamping device is configured to introduce gas into a seal interior space of a hollow seal component and/or comprises a pinching device which is configured to deform the seal in a first direction in order to displace thereby the sealing surface in a second direction which differs from the first one, the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a preassembled air lock assembly, comprising at least the rotating body and the frame surrounding the rotating body and the air lock aperture.

33. The laboratory storage cabinet according to claim 32, wherein the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits a frame which surrounds the air lock aperture and the rotating body, where the frame as a pinching device exhibits two frame components which between them define a gap in which the seal is accommodated, where furthermore a pinch drive is provided by means of which at least one frame component can be moved nearer to the respective frame component under a decrease of the gap dimension between the frame components, wherein the preassembled air lock assembly exhibits the pinch drive and/or wherein the preassembled air lock assembly exhibits a rotary drive the laboratory storage cabinet exhibits for the rotation of the rotating body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which forms a part hereof and wherein:

[0049] FIG. 1A front view of a laboratory storage cabinet according to the invention,

[0050] FIG. 2A side view of the laboratory storage cabinet of FIG. 1,

[0051] FIG. 3A perspective view of an air lock assembly of the storage cabinet of FIG. 1, comprising a frame having two frame components which surrounds an air lock aperture and a seal arranged between these, a rotating body inserted in the air lock aperture rotatably about an axis of rotation, a rotary drive of the rotating body, and a pinch drive of the frame component,

[0052] FIG. 4A perspective view of the air lock assembly of FIG. 3 cut along a sectional plane containing the axis of rotation of the rotating body and penetrating through both loading formations,

[0053] FIG. 5 The longitudinally cut air lock assembly of FIG. 4 when viewed in a direction which is orthogonal to the sectional plane, and

[0054] FIG. 6A perspective view of the air lock assembly of FIGS. 3 to 5, cut along a sectional plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the rotating body.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0055] Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, in FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment according to the invention of a laboratory storage cabinet is labelled generally by 10. FIG. 1 shows a front view of the storage cabinet 10 which exhibits approximately the dimensions of a large domestic refrigerator. Merely as an example, the storage cabinet can be approximately 90 cm to 100 cm wide and 220 to 240 cm tall. The dimensions of the storage cabinet, however, are not crucial here.

[0056] In FIG. 1, the viewing direction of FIG. 2 is indicated by an arrow II. In FIG. 2, the viewing direction of FIG. 1 is indicated by an arrow I.

[0057] The storage cabinet 10 exhibits a cabinet housing 12 which demarcates a storage space 14 (s. FIGS. 3 to 6) inside the cabinet housing 12 from the external environment U, such that an air-conditioning device 16 in the lower end-region of the storage cabinet 10 can maintain in the storage space 14 atmospheric conditions which differ from the conditions of the external environment. For example, the atmosphere in the storage space 14 can differ from the atmosphere of the external environment U with regard to temperature and/or pressure and/or humidity and/or chemical composition.

[0058] The storage cabinet 10 exhibits a display device 18 which as a touch-sensitive screen is also an input device, over which for example the atmospheric conditions in the storage space 14 can be adjusted. Furthermore, via the input device an item stored in the storage space 14 can be called for retrieval or a defined storage position can be assigned for an item to be accommodated in the storage space 14.

[0059] An item can overcome the cabinet housing 12—in the depicted example, its front wall 12a— through a transfer air lock 20 without excessively disturbing the storage conditions maintained artificially in the storage space 14 by the air-conditioning device 16.

[0060] The transfer air lock 20 comprises a rotating body 22 inserted in an air lock aperture 24 which penetrates through the cabinet housing 12, in particular through its front wall 12a, rotatably about an axis of rotation R proceeding in the depicted example along the direction of action of the gravitational force.

[0061] In the storage space 14, a manipulation device 26, for example a multi-axis gripper device, cooperates with the rotating body 22 in order to take over items from the latter or transfer items to it. The manipulation device 26 further cooperates with a storage device 28 which exhibits a plurality of storage positions which are accessible to the manipulation device 26, such that items are transportable by means of the manipulation device 26 between the rotating body 22 and individual storage positions of the storage device 28. To this end the storage device 28 can in principle be moveable relative to the storage housing 12, for example as a storage carousel. Tighter packing of storage positions than with a storage carousel can be obtained through a fixed arrangement of storage positions. In the present example, in which the air lock 20 is arranged at the front wall 12a of the cabinet housing 12, the manipulation device 26 has sufficient movement space in order to reach, starting from the inner transfer position at the air lock 20, a large number of storage positions when these are arranged at the inside of the back wall of the cabinet housing 12 which lies opposite the front wall 12a. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the manipulation device 26 and the storage device 28 are indicated merely roughly in a schematic manner by rectangles shown in dashed lines. The manipulation of items, such as for instance laboratory containers, in storage spaces of laboratory storage cabinets is known per se. Advantageously, individual items and/or bundles of items to be stored exhibit an identification, for instance an RFID chip or an optical code, such as e.g. a QR code or barcode. Likewise, individual storage positions can exhibit an individual identification, likewise realized by way of RFID chips or optical codes. The manipulation device or the storage cabinet in general then preferably comprises a reading device, which reads the identification of the item and where applicable of the assigned storage position and transmits this information to a data memory.

[0062] In the depicted example, the storage cabinet 10 exhibits at its lower end rollers 30, by means of which the storage cabinet 10 is passively mobile to a certain extent, i.e. for example can be moved by one or several operating personnel in a laboratory room without lifting the storage cabinet 10.

[0063] For servicing purposes, for cleaning, but also for emergency operation, the storage space 14 of the storage cabinet 10 is accessible through a side door 32. The door 32 is arranged pivotably at one side of the storage cabinet 10 and when opened offers extensive access into the storage space 14.

[0064] FIG. 1 is a view of a front panel 34 of the storage cabinet 10, which by means of a hinge 36 can be folded away from the housing wall 12 located behind it about a folding axis K which in the depicted example is parallel to the axis of rotation R, for example in order to be able to service the transfer air lock 20.

[0065] FIG. 3 depicts an air lock assembly 38 of the transfer air lock 20 on its own, i.e. without cabinet housing 12 and without front panel 34.

[0066] The air lock assembly 38 comprises the roughly cylindrical rotating body 22 and a frame 40 surrounding the rotating body 22. The frame 40 surrounds, together with the rotating body 22, also the air lock aperture 24.

[0067] The rotating body 22 exhibits at its lower longitudinal end a plate 22a, over which there is situated a cover 22c connected by sidewalls 22b.

[0068] The end face 22c1 of the cover 22c which points in the direction of the axis of rotation R of the rotating body 22 and is orthogonal to the axis of rotation R is flat in the depicted example. The same applies to the end face 22a1 of the plate 22a which points in the opposite direction. The transitions between the plate 22a and the sidewalls 22b and likewise between the sidewalls 22b and the cover 22c are rounded off in order to decrease the risk of injury at the rotating body 22 for operating personnel.

[0069] The lateral faces 22b1 of the sidefaces 22b are part-cylindrical. In recesses 42, which interrupt the lateral faces 22b1 in the circumferential direction, there are arranged loading formations 44, in the depicted example as a loading platform. Positive-fit devices 46 in the shape of defined recesses and further positive-fit devices 48 in the shape of defined projections ensure that an item, for example a laboratory container, can only be arranged in the loading formation 44 in a predetermined oriented position, since for the correct arrangement its mating positive-fit devices have to be in positive-fit engagement with the positive-fit devices 46 and 48.

[0070] The rotating body 22 is mounted in the frame 40 in an upper pivot bearing 52a and in a coaxial lower pivot bearing 52b rotatably about the axis of rotation R. The rotating body 22 is drivable by a rotary drive 50 for rotation about the axis of rotation R. The rotary drive 50 comprises a drive motor 52, which in the depicted example is electric, whose output rotational movement is transmitted via a belt 54 to a drive pulley 56 connected with the rotating body 22 for joint rotation. In the depicted example, the rotary drive 50 is arranged in the upper region of the frame 40. This arrangement is merely an example and could also be provided in the lower region of the frame 40. Likewise, additionally or alternatively to the belt drive there can be provided a gear drive or a connecting rod for transmitting the torque output of the drive motor 52 to the rotating body 22.

[0071] The frame 40 comprises a first frame component 40a and a second frame component 40b, which between them define a gap 41. The first frame component 40a is configured as a frame component 40a fixed to the cabinet housing for firm connection with the cabinet housing 12. The second frame component 40b is moveable relative to the first frame component 40a along a spacing axis A proceeding in the spacing direction between the first and the second frame components 40a, 40b nearer to the first frame component 40a and further away from it.

[0072] To effect a movement of the second frame component 40b towards the first frame component 40a and away from it, there is provided a sealing surface clamping device 58. Since in the gap 41 between the two frame components 40a and 40b there is situated a seal 60 which extends around the air lock aperture 24 at least section-wise but around the greatest part of the latter (see FIGS. 4 to 6), which through the second frame component 40b moving nearer to the first frame component 40a along the spacing axis A is pinched and as a consequence of this pinching its section facing towards the air lock aperture 24 with the sealing surface 60a is dilated orthogonally to the spacing axis A towards the air lock aperture 24 and consequently is displaced, the drive 62 of the sealing surface clamping device 58 is an aforementioned pinch drive 62.

[0073] The pinch drive 62 comprises a motor, once again preferably electric, which is coupled directly with a nut 63a of a spindle drive 64a. The nut 63a is mounted rotatably on the second frame component 40b. The spindle (not visible) surrounded by the nut 63a is connected rigidly with the first frame component 40a.

[0074] In order to prevent tilting of the second frame component 40b during its movement along the spacing axis A, the sealing surface clamping device 58 comprises further spindle drives 64b whose nuts 63b, likewise mounted rotatably on the second frame component 40b, are connected via a drive belt 66 with the nut 63a which is coupled directly with the motor 62 for joint rotation in the same direction. In this way, the torque output of the pinch drive 62 is distributed uniformly to the four corners of the second frame component 40b, such that the second frame component 40b can, essentially with parallel orientation to the first frame component 40a, be moved nearer to the latter and further away from it. Tensioning rollers 68 which likewise are mounted rotatably on the second frame component 40b maintain the tension of the belt 66.

[0075] A control device 70 is connected for signal transmission both with the drive motor 52 of the rotary drive 50 and with the pinch drive 62, such that the control device 70 can drive the rotating body 22 to rotate about the axis of rotation R and the second frame component 40b to move nearer to the first frame component 40a and further away from it. In this process, preferably the seal 60 is lifted off the rotating body 22 when the latter rotates and the seal 60 abuts on the rotating body when the latter is stationary.

[0076] The recess 42, which can exhibit an arbitrary shape appropriate for the material which is to be placed on the loading formation 44, exhibits in a lateral surface a passage aperture 72 through which an optical transfer sensor 74 shines into a region immediately above the loading formation 44. The optical transfer sensor 74 is connected for signal transmission with the control device 70, such that the control device 70 receives and can evaluate the detection signal of the transfer sensor 74.

[0077] The optical transfer sensor 74 serves to detect whether or not there is situated on the loading formation 44 an item to be transported from the external environment U into the storage space 14. The control device 70 can be configured to initiate, on the signal of the transfer sensor 74, a rotational movement of the rotating body 22.

[0078] The loading formation 44 visible in FIG. 3 is situated in the outer transfer position and therefore is accessible to operating personnel or to a manipulation device for automated loading.

[0079] The air lock assembly 38 further comprises two engagement sensors 76 and 78, which likewise are optical sensors. The engagement sensors 76 and 78, which likewise are connected with the control device 70 for signal transmission, create a light barrier at different heights in front of the recess 42, thus being able to detect whether an object, such as for instance a section of a manipulation device which loads the loading formation 44 or an arm or a hand of an operator, protrudes from the external environment U into the movement space of the rotating body 22, such that on a movement of the rotating body 22 there is risk of damage or injury to the object. The control device 70 is then configured to prevent movement of the rotating body 22 if at least one of the engagement sensors 76 and 78 detects an object protruding into the movement space of the rotating body 22.

[0080] The control device 70 can be coupled with the display and input/output device 18 for signal transmission.

[0081] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a longitudinal section through the air lock assembly 38 along a sectional plane which contains the axis of rotation R and which penetrates essentially orthogonally through the aperture area of the air lock aperture 24.

[0082] FIGS. 4 and 5 depict a further loading formation 44-2 which lies diametrically opposite the previously described loading formation 44 and is configured and arranged mirror-imaged to the loading formation 44 described above with respect to a mirror symmetry plane SE which is orthogonal to the drawing plane of FIG. 5 and contains the axis of rotation R. Therefore, this further loading formation 44-2 will not be discussed any more below. The explanation given above concerning the loading formation 44 also applies, under the aforementioned mirror symmetry condition, to the further loading formation 44-2.

[0083] The further loading formation 44-2 is situated in a recess 42-2 which lies diametrically opposite the previously described recess 42. The recesses 42 and 42-2 are configured point-symmetrically in such a way that one recess changes over to the other recess through 180° rotation about the axis of rotation R.

[0084] The loading formation 44 and its assigned recess 42 are situated in FIGS. 4 and 5 on the side of the external environment U, such that the loading formation 44 is situated in the outer transfer position. In contrast, the further loading formation 44-2 is situated on the side of the storage space 14 and thus in the inner transfer position. The rotating body 22 is situated in its standby position.

[0085] The two recesses 42 and 42-2 are separated from one another spatially and physically by a partition 22d. In order to be able to maintain in the storage space 14 at the lowest possible cost an atmosphere having temperatures, normally lower ones, which differ from those of the external atmosphere of the external environment U, there is configured in the partition 22 a thermally insulating plate 80 from a suitable thermally insulating material, such as for example ceramic powder, in particular evacuated ceramic powder, a porous fiber and/or foam structure and the like.

[0086] The recesses 42 and 42-2 are each formed by part-elements 23 of the rotating body 22, which due to the point symmetry described above are preferably configured identically, such that a single tool mold suffices for their production. The plate 22a comprises in the depicted example only one component, which defines its outer surface. The cover 22c comprises two components 25 which define its outer surface, which preferably are likewise configured identically.

[0087] Between the components 25, 23 and the plate 22a there are configured hollow spaces, in order to either accommodate therein functional units, such as for example the lights 82 for the recesses 42 and 42-2 and their power supply cables, or in order simply to decrease the mass and thereby the mass moment of inertia of the rotating body 22.

[0088] By means of lights 82 provided in the recesses 42 and 42-2, the loading formation associated with the respective recess can be illuminated. The lights can, for example, comprise LED lamps.

[0089] In FIGS. 4 and 5 there are in addition discernible the pivot bearings of the rotating body, which are commonplace per se.

[0090] In FIG. 6, the rotating body 22 and the frame 40 are cut along a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis R. It is discernible here that the thermally insulating plate 80 as part of the partition 22d is surrounded by a seal 84 over a wide range of its circumference. The seal 84 exhibits a sealing counterface 84a, pointing towards the seal 60 which is opposite to it at the frame 40. The seal 60, depicted in the present example as a hose seal which is deformable with little force, exhibits on its side which faces towards the rotating body-side seal 84 a sealing surface 60a, which can be displaced by pinching the seal 60 along the spacing axis A towards the rotating body 22 and thus towards the sealing surface 84a. The seal 84 is made of soft elastic material, such that the seal 84 and with it the sealing counterface 84a are deformed and/or the sealing counterface 84a also displaced under the force of the sealing surface 60a pressing on them towards a virtual aperture axis V orthogonal to the axis of rotation R and notionally penetrating centrally through the air lock aperture 24.

[0091] The virtual aperture axis V is parallel to the drawing plane of FIG. 5.

[0092] While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, and equivalences thereof, can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined to form yet other embodiments of the invention of this application. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.