MODULAR STIRRER

Abstract

A modular stirrer having a drive unit, a stirrer unit, and a magnetic coupling. The magnetic coupling is arranged between the drive unit and the stirrer unit and has a cylindrical cavity, drive magnets as well as stirrer unit magnets, and the drive magnets are connected to the drive unit and the stirrer unit magnets are connected to the stirrer unit and arranged radially about the cavity. The cavity is open at the opposite end in the opened state of the magnetic coupling, and the drive magnets may be inserted into the cavity of the magnetic coupling for closing the magnetic coupling for coupling of drive unit and stirrer unit and may be arranged in a plane one with the stirrer unit magnets. The magnetic coupling has a quick-release closure, which closes the cavity upon closing the magnetic coupling and creates a connection of drive unit and stirrer unit.

Claims

1.-5. (canceled)

6. A modular stirrer having a drive unit, a stirrer unit as well as a magnetic coupling, wherein the magnetic coupling is arranged between the drive unit and the stirrer unit and has a cylindrical cavity, drive magnets as well as stirrer unit magnets, wherein the drive magnets are connected to the drive unit and the stirrer unit magnets are connected to the stirrer unit and arranged radially about the cavity, wherein the cavity is open at the end essentially opposite to the stirrer unit in the opened state of the magnetic coupling, and wherein the drive magnets are configured to be inserted into the cavity of the magnetic coupling to close the magnetic coupling to couple the drive unit and stirrer unit and may be arranged essentially in a common plane with the stirrer unit magnets, wherein the magnetic coupling has a quick-release closure, which closes the cavity upon closing the magnetic coupling and creates a connection of drive unit and stirrer unit, wherein in the wall of the cavity there are arranged pins in a partition plane of the magnetic coupling, which engage in respective recesses of the opposite part of the magnetic coupling in the course of coupling.

7. A modular stirrer according to claim 6, wherein the quick-release closure is a quick-release closure of the following group: a bayonet coupling, a union nut, a shank hose coupling, a TC closure.

8. A modular stirrer according to claim 6, wherein the cavity is configured to be closed by a closure in the opened state of the magnetic coupling.

9. A modular stirrer according to claim 8, wherein the closure is a closure of the following group: a bayonet coupling, a shank hose coupling, a screw-lid, a TC closure.

10. A container configured to hold heterogeneous, high-viscous fluids with solid particles contained therein, the container comprising a container lid and a container body, wherein the container lid has a modular stirrer according to claim 6.

Description

[0017] Advantageous embodiments of the modular stirrer according to the invention as well as alternative embodiment variants are explained in greater detail by way of the figures in the following.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view through the magnetic coupling of a modular stirrer according to the invention in a front view.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through a modular stirrer according to the invention in a front view.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view through a modular stirrer, which is integrated in a container lid, having a separate drive unit and a mounted closure, in a front view.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows two containers having a modular stirrer according to the invention with disassembled drive unit and mounted closure in the stapled state in a front view.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment variant of a magnetic coupling 1 of a modular stirrer 2 according to the invention in the closed state. The stirrer 2 consists of a drive unit 3, a stirrer unit 4 as well as the magnetic coupling 1 disposed there between. The drive unit 3 and the stirrer unit 4 are shown only in portions in FIG. 1 for a better illustration of the magnetic coupling 1. The magnetic coupling 1 is composed of a cavity 5, in which there are situated drive magnets 6 in the closed state of the magnetic coupling 1. Stirrer unit magnets 7 are arranged radially about the cavity 5 in the plane of the drive magnets 6. In the closed state of the magnetic coupling 1, the torque of the drive unit 3 is transferred due to the magnetic attraction of the drive magnets 6 and the stirrer unit magnets 7 from the drive unit 3 to the stirrer unit 4.

[0023] Upon opening of the magnetic coupling 1, the drive magnets 6 are removed from the cavity 5, wherein this is opened for this purpose by means of a quick-release closure 8.

[0024] The connection between drive unit 3 and stirrer unit 4 is realized upon closing the magnetic coupling 1, wherein the drive magnets 6 are inserted into the cavity 5 and arranged in the plane of the stirrer unit magnets 7. In this way, the cavity 5 is closed by means of the quick-release closure 8.

[0025] In this way there is obtained the advantage that the drive unit 3 may be connected to the stirrer unit 4 and removed from this in a rather simple way. The use of a magnetic coupling 1 is advantageous as this does not require any additional seals, which represent a potential cause of risk for the sterility of the container content.

[0026] The quick-release closure 8 may be one from various quick-release closures, wherein there is preferably used a bayonet coupling, a union nut, a shank hose coupling or a TC closure.

[0027] The use of these quick-release closures is especially advantageous as these are available on the market in a high number and do not require any complex or special-purpose tool in order to being opened or closed, respectively. In this way, there is additionally facilitated the handling thereof.

[0028] The magnetic coupling 1 depicted in FIG. 1 has a separating plane 9, in which the magnetic coupling 1 may be separated. Therein, there is arranged a number of pins 10, which engage in respective recesses of the opposite magnetic coupling part upon closing the magnetic coupling 1.

[0029] In this way there is obtained the advantage that the magnetic coupling 1 is additionally reinforced by the pins 10 against possibly occurring loads such as vibrations or transverse loads.

[0030] The modular stirrer 2 depicted in FIG. 2 in a sectional view in the front plane is, as depicted in FIG. 4, preferably a part of a container 11, wherein this is composed of a container lid 12 and a container body 13. FIG. 2 illustrates the entire modular stirrer 2 in a preferred embodiment with complete drive unit 3 and stirrer unit 4, which are depicted in FIG. 1 only in portions. The magnetic coupling 1 of the modular stirrer 2 is, as depicted in FIG. 3 in details, integrated in the container lid 12, wherein this encloses the cavity 5 of the magnetic coupling 1 underneath the separating plane 9 of the magnetic coupling 1. By means of this set-up there is obtained the advantage that the modular stirrer 2 may be integrated in containers 11 of different sizes due to the combination of uniform container lid 12 with container bodies 13 of different holding capacities.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view in the front plane of a modular stirrer 2 in a preferred embodiment variant, wherein the drive unit 3 has been removed by separation of the magnetic coupling 1. The modular stirrer 2 is enclosed by the container lid 12, which is depicted only in portions like the stirrer unit 4. The cavity 5 of the magnetic coupling 1 is shown in FIG. 3 in the closed state in a front view. Therefore, in the separated state of the magnetic coupling 1, there is mounted a closure 14 onto the separating plane 9 of the magnetic coupling 1.

[0032] In this way there is obtained the advantage that the cavity 5 of the magnetic coupling 1 will not be contaminated by mounting the closure 14.

[0033] The closure 14 may be one of various closures, wherein there is preferably used a bayonet coupling, a union nut, a shank hose coupling or a TC closure.

[0034] The use of these closures is especially advantageous, as these are available on the market in a high number and do not require any complex, special-purpose tool in order to being opened or closed, respectively. In this way, there is additionally facilitated the handling thereof.

[0035] FIG. 4 show two containers 11 having a modular stirrer 2 according to the invention with separated magnetic coupling 1 and closure 14 in a front view, which are stapled one upon another. The lower of the two containers 11 is shown in a cut-open illustration in order to illustrate the modular stirrer 2 integrated therein.

[0036] By way of the possibility of removing the drive unit 3 from the containers 11, it is possible, as shown in FIG. 4, to staple these one upon another.

[0037] In this way there is given the advantage that there will be necessary smaller space requirements for the storage of containers 11, whereby the storage costs will be reduced.

[0038] The modular stirrer 2 disclosed herein may be used, apart from the food industry, in all fields, in which it is advantageous for the container content to remain sterile and in which there are not used additional seals for the stirrer 2. These include, for example, the pharmaceutical industry and the chemical industry. Further fields of application will be obvious for those skilled in the art from this exemplary reference.