Pipette with adjustable dosing volume

Abstract

A pipette with an adjustable dosing volume comprises a housing connected to at least one seat configured to releasably hold a pipette tip. A displacement device is positioned within the housing and configured to aspirate and discharge liquid from the pipette tip. A stroke rod is coupled to the displacement element and configured to be longitudinally displaced relative to the housing to displace the displacement device. A catch sleeve is rotatably mounted within the housing and is connected to the stroke rod. An adjusting sleeve configured to engage a transducer shaft that is rotatably mounted within the housing and comprises a countershaft of a gearbox that is configured to be shifted between different shift stages. Each shift stage comprises different gear ratios between a rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve and a rotational speed of the catch sleeve. The different gear ratios enable coarse volume adjustment and fine volume adjustment.

Claims

1. A pipette with an adjustable dosing volume comprising: a housing comprising an upper end and an opposing lower end; at least one seat connected to the housing and configured to releasably hold a pipette tip to the lower end of the housing; a displacement device positioned within the housing and comprising, a displacement chamber fluidly connected to the at least one seat, and a displacement element configured to move within the displacement chamber to aspirate and discharge liquid from the pipette tip; a stroke rod coupled to the displacement element and configured to be longitudinally displaced relative to the housing to displace the displacement element within the displacement chamber; a control button configured to connect to the stroke rod to control movement of the stroke rod, wherein at least a portion of the control button projects from the housing; a threaded spindle comprising at least one catch and defining a central spindle hole configured to guide the stroke rod; a catch sleeve rotatably mounted within the housing and comprising an output shaft and at least one groove extending in a longitudinal direction that is configured to engage the at least one catch of the threaded spindle; a counter configured to detect the rotation of the catch sleeve and display a dosing volume; an adjusting sleeve rotatably mounted within the housing and comprising an input shaft; an adjusting element accessible from an outside of the housing and connected to the adjusting sleeve; and a transducer shaft rotatably mounted within the housing and comprising a countershaft of a gearbox, wherein the gearbox comprises, a shifting device, and a shift element accessible from outside of the housing, wherein the shift element is configured to shift the gearbox between different shift stages, wherein each different shift stage comprises different gear ratios between a rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve and a rotational speed of the catch sleeve, and wherein the different gear ratios enable coarse volume adjustment and fine volume adjustment.

2. The pipette according to claim 1, wherein one of the adjusting sleeve and the catch sleeve include an outer circumference comprising a plurality of toothings with different diameters, wherein the transducer shaft comprises a plurality of toothings with different diameters, and wherein the shifting element is configured to cause the plurality of toothings of the transducer shaft to engage one of the plurality of toothings of the adjusting sleeve and the plurality of toothings of the catch sleeve.

3. The pipette according to claim 2, wherein the counter comprises a drive gear configured to engage a first toothing on the outer circumference of the catch sleeve.

4. The pipette according to claim 1, wherein: the catch sleeve comprises a first toothing positioned on an outer circumference; the adjusting sleeve comprises a second toothing on an outer circumference and a third toothing above the second toothing, wherein the second toothing has a different diameter than the third toothing; and the transducer shaft comprises a fourth toothing configured to engage with the first toothing, a fifth toothing positioned above the fourth toothing, and a sixth toothing positioned above the fifth toothing, wherein the fifth toothing and the sixth toothing have different diameters.

5. The pipette according to claim 4, wherein the shifting device is configured to displace the adjusting sleeve and the transducer shaft in an axial direction relative to each other to bring the second toothing into engagement with the fifth toothing, and wherein the third toothing is simultaneously disengaged from the sixth toothing.

6. The pipette according to claim 5, wherein the shifting device is configured to displace the adjusting sleeve and the transducer shaft in an axial direction relative to each other to bring the third toothing into engagement with the sixth toothing and simultaneously disengage the second toothing from the fifth toothing, and wherein the displacement of the adjusting sleeve and the transducer shaft alters the rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve and the rotational speed of the catch sleeve can be altered.

7. The pipette according to claim 6, wherein the fourth toothing has a same diameter and a same number of teeth as the fifth toothing.

8. The pipette according to claim 7, wherein the first toothing and the second toothing have a same number of teeth and a same diameter.

9. The pipette according to claim 7, wherein the first toothing the second toothing have a different number of teeth and a same diameter.

10. The pipette according to claim 6, wherein the fourth toothing and the fifth toothing have different diameters.

11. The pipette according to claim 4, wherein the shifting device is configured to displace the adjusting sleeve in an axial direction relative to the housing to bring the second toothing into engagement with the fifth toothing and simultaneously disengage the third toothing from the sixth toothing.

12. The pipette according to claim 11, wherein the shifting device is configured to displace the adjusting sleeve in the axial direction relative to the housing to bring the third toothing into engagement with the sixth toothing and simultaneously disengage the second toothing from the fifth toothing.

13. The pipette according to claim 4, wherein the shifting device is configured to displace the transducer shaft in an axial direction relative to the housing to bring the second toothing into engagement with the fifth toothing and simultaneously disengage the third toothing from the sixth toothing.

14. The pipette according to claim 13, wherein the shifting device is configured to displace the transducer shaft in an axial direction relative to the housing to bring the third toothing into engagement with the sixth toothing and simultaneously disengage the second toothing from the fifth toothing.

15. The pipette according to claim 1, further comprising a first spring device positioned within the housing and braced against one of the stroke rod and the displacement element.

16. The pipette according to claim 1, further comprising a second spring device configured to adjust the shifting device into a certain shifting stage.

17. The pipette according to claim 1, wherein the transducer shaft is positioned between the adjusting sleeve and the counter.

18. The pipette according to claim 1, wherein the counter comprises one or more counter rollers having a rotational axis that is parallel to the adjusting sleeve.

19. The pipette according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting element is an adjusting ring positioned at an upper end of the adjusting sleeve.

20. A pipette with an adjustable dosing volume comprising: a housing; at least one seat connected to the housing and configured to releasably hold a pipette tip; a displacement device positioned within the housing and configured to aspirate and discharge liquid from the pipette tip; a stroke rod coupled to the displacement device and configured to be longitudinally displaced relative to the housing to displace the displacement device; a control button configured to connect to the stroke rod to control movement of the stroke rod, wherein at least a portion of the control button projects from the housing; a threaded spindle defining a central spindle hole configured to guide the stroke rod; a catch sleeve rotatably mounted within the housing and configured to engage the threaded spindle; an adjusting sleeve rotatably mounted within the housing; an adjusting element accessible from an outside of the housing and connected to the adjusting sleeve; and a transducer shaft rotatably mounted within the housing and comprising a countershaft of a gearbox, wherein the gearbox comprises, a shifting device, and a shift element accessible from outside of the housing, wherein the shift element is configured to shift the gearbox between different shift stages, wherein each different shift stage comprises different gear ratios between a rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve and a rotational speed of the catch sleeve, and wherein the different gear ratios enable quick volume adjustment and slow volume adjustment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in the following in more detail using the attached drawings of an exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a pipette from the left side;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the pipette of FIG. 1 from the right side;

(4) FIG. 3.1 illustrates a right side perspective view of an embodiment of an adjustment mechanism of the pipette from the right side;

(5) FIG. 3.2 illustrates a front perspective view of the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism of the pipette of FIG. 3.1;

(6) FIG. 3.3 illustrates a left side perspective view of the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism of the pipette of FIG. 3.1;

(7) FIG. 3.4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism of the pipette of FIG. 3.1;

(8) FIG. 4.1 illustrates a right side perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 3.1 shifted into a different shifting stage;

(9) FIG. 4.2 illustrates a front perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.1;

(10) FIG. 4.3 illustrates a left side perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.1;

(11) FIG. 4.4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.1;

(12) FIG. 5.1 illustrates an exploded view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.1;

(13) FIG. 5.2 illustrates an exploded view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.2;

(14) FIG. 5.3 illustrates an exploded view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.3;

(15) FIG. 5.4 illustrates an exploded view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 4.4;

(16) FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view of an embodiment of first and second toothings having a different number of teeth with the same diameters;

(17) FIG. 7.1 illustrates a right perspective view of another embodiment of an adjustment mechanism of the pipette;

(18) FIG. 7.2 illustrates a front perspective view of the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 7.1;

(19) FIG. 7.3 illustrates a left side perspective view of the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 7.1;

(20) FIG. 7.4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the embodiment of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 7.1;

(21) FIG. 8.1 illustrates a right side perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 7.1 shifted into a different shifting stage;

(22) FIG. 8.2 illustrates a front perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 8.1;

(23) FIG. 8.3 illustrates a left side perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 8.1; and

(24) FIG. 8.4 illustrates a front perspective view of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 8.1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(25) In the present application, the terms “top” and “bottom”, “above” and “below”, “plan view” and “bottom view” and terms derived therefrom such as “underside” and “bottom side” and “horizontal” and “vertical” relate to an alignment of the pipette in which the housing with the seat is aligned vertically downward. In this alignment, a pipette tip attached to the seat can be directed at a vessel located beneath it, in order to draw, or respectively dispense liquid.

(26) According to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pipette 1 according to the invention has a rod-shaped housing 2 with a bottom housing part 3 and an top housing part 4. At the top, the bottom housing part 3 has a tubular main body 5 with a conical floor from which a slim, tubular, slightly conical attachment 6 projects downward that has a seat 7 at the bottom for mounting a pipette tip 8. In the attachment 6, a displacement chamber 9 is formed in the form of a cylinder that is connected by a connecting channel 10 to an opening 11 in the bottom side of the seat 7.

(27) Furthermore, the bottom housing part 3 comprises a displacement element 12 in the form of a plunger of the displacement device that is guided by a seal system 13 at the top side of the floor into the cylinder 11. The displacement element 12 has a plate 14 at the upper end that has a central dome-shaped recess in the top side. A first spring device 15 is arranged in the form of a helical spring between the plate 14 and the top side of the floor. The first spring device 15 presses the plate 14 from below against a sealing cap 16 that is connected to the main body 5 and has a passage in the center through which the plate 14 is accessible from above.

(28) The top housing part 4 contains a stroke rod 17 that lies against the top side of the plate 14. The lower end of the stroke rod 17 engages in the recess in the plate 14. A control button 18 is fixed at the top to the stroke rod 17 and projects from the upper end of the housing 2 to the outside.

(29) The stroke rod 17 is guided through a central spindle hole 19 in a threaded spindle 20 that is arranged in the top housing part 4. The threaded spindle 20 has an outer thread 21 on the outside that can be screwed into an inner thread 22 of a stroke body 23 that is held at the bottom to a first carrier 24 in the top housing part 4. The stroke body 23 forms a spindle nut.

(30) The lower face of the threaded spindle 20 is an upper stop 25 for a stop element 26 in the form of an annular bead on the outer circumference of the stroke rod 17.

(31) The threaded spindle 20 is connected at the upper end to rotate conjointly with a catch 27 that engages by means of ribs 28 projecting radially outward (see FIGS. 5.2 and 5.4) into axial grooves 29 of a catch sleeve 30. The catch sleeve 30 is arranged concentrically to the threaded spindle 20 and is rotatably mounted on the outer circumference of the stroke body 23. The catch sleeve 30 has a circumferential first toothing 31 on the bottom edge on the outer circumference. This is shown in particular in FIGS. 3.1-3.3 and 4.1-4.4.

(32) An adjusting sleeve 32 is shoved onto the catch sleeve 30. The adjusting sleeve 32 is rotatably mounted on the outer circumference of the catch sleeve 30 and is displaceably guided in an axial direction between two barriers on the catch sleeve 30. The upper end of the adjusting sleeve 32 projects outward from the upper end of the housing 2. There, the adjusting sleeve 32 has an adjusting ring 33 on the outer circumference which bears a corrugation on the outer circumference.

(33) The adjusting sleeve 32 has a second toothing 34 surrounding the outer circumference on the lower edge, and a third toothing 35 somewhat further upward surrounding the outer circumference. The first toothing 31 and the second toothing 34 have the same diameter and the same number of teeth. The third toothing 35 has a greater diameter and a greater number of teeth than the second toothing 34.

(34) The second toothing 34 is closed on the top side, and the third toothing 35 is closed on the bottom side by an intermediate disc 36. The bottom side of the disc 36 forms a lower barrier 37, and the top side of the disc 36 forms an upper barrier 38 for the displacement of the adjusting sleeve 32.

(35) On the first support 24, a transducer shaft 39 is rotatably mounted adjacent to the catch sleeve 30 and the adjusting sleeve 32. The transducer shaft 39 is provided at the bottom with a fourth toothing 40, above that with a fifth toothing 41, and above that with a sixth toothing 42. The fourth toothing 40 and fifth toothing 41 have the same diameter and the same number of teeth and are combined into a single toothing 43. The sixth toothing 42 is arranged at a distance from the fifth toothing 41 and has a smaller diameter and a lesser number of teeth than the fifth toothing 41. The transducer shaft 39 is rotatably mounted at the top in a second carrier 44 that is fixed in the top housing part 4.

(36) As shown in FIGS. 3.1-3.4, a counter 45 in the form of a roller counter is held between the first carrier 24 and the second carrier 44. A counter roller shaft 46 of the roller counter is mounted at the bottom in the first carrier 24 and at the top in the second carrier 44. At the top, the second carrier 44 abuts a projection in the housing. In addition, a drive gear 47 is rotatably mounted on the first carrier 24 and comprises two spur gears 48, 49 with different diameters on a common shaft. The spur gear 48 with the smaller diameter meshes with the first toothing 31 of the catch sleeve 30, and the spur gear 49 with the larger diameter meshes with a drive pinion 50 on an initial roller of the roller counter.

(37) Referring back to FIG. 1, the number wheels 51 of the counter 45 are visible from the outside of the housing 2 through a window 52 in the top housing part 4 that has a transparent cover 53 (FIG. 2). In the top housing part 4, a pot-shaped holder 54 is arranged below the stroke body 23. The holder 54 has an outer thread 55 that is screwed into an inner thread 56 of a third carrier 57 fastened within the housing 2. The holder 54 contains a cap-shaped bottom stop 58 that is held below a downwardly-bent upper edge 59 of the holder 54. An overstroke spring 60 in the form of a helical spring that abuts the floor 61 of the holder 54 presses the bottom 58 against the upper edge 59. The stroke rod 17 is guided through central passages in the lower stop 58, through the overstroke spring 60 and a central passage in the floor 61 of the holder 54.

(38) The adjusting sleeve 32 is a driveshaft, the catch sleeve 30 is a driveshaft, and the transducer shaft 39 is a countershaft of a gearbox 63 designed as a spur gearbox 62. Shifting between the various stages is accomplished by axially moving the adjusting sleeve 32 into a lower shift position (fine adjustment position) shown in FIGS. 3.1-3.4 and 4.1-4.4, and into an upper shifting position (quick adjustment position) shown in FIGS. 4.1-4.4. In the fine adjustment position in FIGS. 3.1-3.4, the adjusting sleeve 32 is moved downward as far as possible until it contacts the lower barrier 37 on the top side of the fifth toothing 41, and in the quick adjustment position, the adjusting sleeve 32 is moved upward until it contacts the upper barrier 38 on the bottom side of the sixth toothing 42. The adjusting sleeve 32 is therefore simultaneously a switching shifting device 64 of the gearbox, wherein the adjusting ring 33 is a shift element 65 of the shifting device 64. In the exemplary embodiment, the gearbox 63 does not have any preferential position so that the gearbox always retains the last adjusted shifting stage. The invention includes other types of embodiments with a preferential position of the gearbox that for example are realized by means of a second spring device.

(39) When the adjusting sleeve 32 is rotated, the catch sleeve 30 is also rotated corresponding to the adjusted shifting stage. By means of the catch sleeve 30, the threaded spindle 20 is screwed into the inner thread 22 fixed relative to the housing, and the upper stop 25 travels up or down depending on the rotational direction. This shifts the distance between the upper stop 25 and the lower stop 58 that determines the dosing volume. The set dosing volume can be read from the counter 45 which is driven via the drive gear 47 by the catch sleeve 30.

(40) An ejector button 66 on an ejector rod 67 is seated next to the adjusting sleeve 32 at the top edge region of the top housing part 4. The ejector rod 67 runs parallel to the stroke rod 17 through the top housing part 4. Its bottom is connected to a lateral fastening shoulder 68 of the ejector sleeve 69 that is movably arranged on the attachment 6.

(41) An ejector spring 70 configured as a helical spring is arranged in the top housing part 4, and one end is braced within housing 2 and the other end contacts the ejector rod 67. The ejector spring 70 presses the ejector rod 67 upward so that the ejector sleeve 67 lies against the attachment 6. The bottom housing part 3 and the top housing part 4 are connected to each other by a snap connection 71.

(42) Before pipetting, the user can adjust the desired dosing volume. To accomplish this, he or she rotates the adjusting ring 33 until the desired dosing volume is displayed by the counter 45. To adjust the dosing volume, the user can choose between two speed levels. In particular when the last adjusted dosing volume deviates significantly from the dosing volume to be adjusted, the user can first select a quick shifting stage. If the gearbox is not already adjusted to the quick shifting stage, the user grasps the adjusting ring 33 and pulls the adjusting sleeve 32 out of the fine adjustment position in FIGS. 3.1-3.4 a bit more out of the housing 2 into the quick adjustment position shown in FIGS. 4.1-4.4.

(43) In the first quick adjustment position, the first toothing 31 of the catch sleeve 30 engages with the fourth toothing 40 of the transducer shaft 39, and the third toothing 35 of the adjustment sleeve 32 engages with the sixth toothing 42 of the transducer shaft 39. This converts the rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve 32 into a higher rotational speed of the catch sleeve 30 so that the user can quickly adjust the dosing volume close to the dosing volume to be adjusted.

(44) To precisely adjust the desired dosing volume, the user can choose a slow shifting stage. To accomplish this, he or she presses the adjusting sleeve 32 on the adjusting ring 33 lower into the housing 2 into the fine adjustment position shown in FIGS. 3.1-3.4. In this position, the first toothing 31 engages with the fourth toothing 40, and the second toothing 34 engages with the fifth toothing 41. Consequently, rotating the adjusting sleeve 32 at a certain rotational speed causes the catch sleeve 30 to rotate at a slower speed than in the quick shifting stage. With the toothings of the exemplary embodiment, the rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve 32 is the same as the rotational speed of the catch sleeve 30 since the first toothing 31 and the second toothing 34, as well as the fourth toothing 40 and the fifth toothing 41, each have corresponding numbers of teeth and diameters.

(45) Before or after precisely adjusting the dosing volume, the user can clamp a pipette tip 8 onto the pipette 1 by pressing the pipette 1 by the seat 7 into the top opening 72 in the pipette tip 8. For pipetting, he or she first presses the control button 18 downward so that the stop element 26 is displaced by the top stop 25 against the bottom stop 58. In so doing, the stroke rod 17 presses the displacement element 12 downward, and the first spring device 15 is pretensioned. Then the user immerses the pipette tip 8 by its bottom opening 73 into the sample fluid and releases the control button 18. Consequently, the first spring element 15 presses the displacement element 12 and the stroke rod 17 upward until the stop element 26 lies against the upper stop 25. In so doing, a quantity of liquid is drawn into the pipette tip 8 corresponding to the adjusted dosing volume.

(46) To discharge the quantity of liquid, the user holds the pipette tip 8 with the bottom opening 73 over another vessel and represses the control button 18 downward. After the bottom stop 58 is reached, he or she can press in the control button 18 deeper while overcoming the resistance of the overstroke spring 60 in order to eject a residual quantity of liquid from the pipette tip 8.

(47) Then he or she can pipette an additional quantity of liquid in the same manner or, to change the sample liquid, the pipette tip 8 is ejected downward by pressing the ejector button 66. In so doing, the ejector sleeve 69 scrapes the pipette tip 8 off of the seat 7. After the ejector button 66 is released, the ejector spring 70 displaces the ejector rod 67 back to the shown home composition. Then additional pipettings can be carried out with the same adjusted dosing volume, or with a new dosing volume to be adjusted, wherein the adjustment can be performed as described above.

(48) FIG. 6 shows the first and second toothing 31′, 34′ of another exemplary embodiment. This differs from the above-described in that the first toothing 31′ and the second toothing 34′ have the same diameter, wherein however the first toothing 31′ has one tooth less than the second toothing 34′. Consequently the first toothing 31′ has a greater pitch than the second toothing 34′. The plan view shows that as a consequence, there is a profile shift of the toothings between the first toothing 31′ and second toothing 34′.

(49) In this exemplary embodiment as well, the fourth toothing 40 and the fifth toothing 41 each have the same diameter and the same number of teeth. When the slow shifting stage is engaged, this causes the catch sleeve 30 to execute a bit less than one rotation for one rotation of the adjusting sleeve 32. Consequently, the rotational speed of the adjusting sleeve 32 is greater than the rotational speed of the catch sleeve 30. In the fast shifting stage, the catch sleeve 30 is rotated as in the above exemplary embodiment during a rotation of the adjusting sleeve 32. Overall, a somewhat larger spread of the transmission ratios is thereby achieved.

(50) The adjusting mechanism in FIGS. 7.1-7.4 and 8.1-8.4 differs from the adjusting mechanism in FIGS. 3.1-3.4 and 4.1-4.4 in that the transducer shaft 39 that is a component of the shifting device 64, and not the adjusting sleeve 32, is held in an axially displaceable manner in the housing 2. Accordingly, two barriers prevent the displacement of the adjusting sleeve 32 in an axial direction. The displacement of the transducer shaft 39 in an axial direction is enabled in that its two ends engage in bearings in the first carrier 24 and in the second carrier 44 that permit a corresponding displacement.

(51) A shift lever 74 that projects outward perpendicularly from the transducer shaft 39 is seated on the transducer shaft 39. The shift lever 74 is the shift element 65 of the shifting device 64. The shift lever 74 is held in a groove in the circumference of the transducer shaft 39. To accomplish this, the shift lever 74 is for example snapped onto the transducer shaft 39 for example with a fork-shaped end. The shift lever 74 engages in the ring groove such that, by displacing the shift lever 74 in an axial direction, the transducer shaft can be displaced up and down, and the transducer shaft 39 can be rotated relative to the shift lever 74. By an outer end, the shift lever 74 projects outward from a vertical slot in the housing 2 so that it can be displaced from the outside.

(52) The downward displacement of the transducer shaft 39 is limited by contact with the bottom side of the fourth toothing 40 on the first carrier 24 (see FIGS. 8.1-8.4), and the upward displacement of the transducer shaft 39 is limited by contact with the shift lever 74 on the second carrier 44 (see FIGS. 7.1-7.4).

(53) In FIGS. 7.1-7.4, the shifting device 64 is shifted into the fine adjustment position in which a rotation of the adjusting sleeve 32 causes a slow adjustment of the threaded spindle 20. In FIG. 8, the shifting device 64 is shifted into the quick adjustment position in which a rotation of the adjusting sleeve 32 causes a quick adjustment of the threaded spindle 20. Moreover, the adjusting mechanism in FIGS. 7.1-7.4 and 8.1-8.4 has the same properties as the adjusting mechanism in FIGS. 3.1-3.4 and 4.1-4.4.