NMR probe with compact mechanism for remote tuning, matching and control of NMR probe head

Abstract

The invention relates to a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probe head (10) for use in a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, comprising a mechanical device (11), characterized in that the mechanical device comprises an actuator platform to which an actuator is attached, the platform being movably connected to a carrier stage equipped with three actuating elements arranged thereon, the carrier rack enables the carrier rack to move the actuator platform to any required spatial position relative to the adjusting rod; the engagement system comprises a receiving element arranged on the lower end of each adjustment lever and an insertion element arranged on the top end of the actuator, the insertion element being designed and adapted to fit into any one of the receiving elements in order to mechanically couple the corresponding adjustment lever with the actuator, thus, transmission of rotational and / or translational motion from the actuator to the adjustment lever is provided. The invention also relates to an NMR spectrometer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an NMR probe head for use in an NMR spectrometer, which probe head comprises a mechanical device designed and adapted for remotely tuning, matching and controlling the NMR probe head during operation of the NMR spectrometer, which mechanical device comprises a plurality of adjustment rods for mechanically adjusting mechanical or electrical parts in the NMR probe head that need to be manipulated, which adjustment rods are arranged essentially along the Z-direction and are mechanically coupled to actuators via an engagement system, and which NMR probe head comprises a control system for controlling the movement of the actuators. BACKGROUND

[0002] Such an NMR probe head is known from US 6,204,665 B1 (= reference [1]).

[0003] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the technical field of magnetic resonance. Nuclear magnetic resonance (= "NMR") spectroscopy is a powerful tool in instrumental chemical analysis and a commercially widely used method for analyzing and characterizing the chemical composition of a substance. In an NMR experiment, a sample is exposed to a strong static magnetic field, which interacts with the spins of nuclei contained in the sample. Radio frequency (= "RF") pulses are sent into the sample to manipulate the spins, and the reaction of the sample, i.e. the RF signal (also called "NMR signal"), is measured. The reaction of the sample depends on the environment of the nuclei in the sample, in particular the bonding electrons. Thus, information about the chemical structure of the sample can be obtained by analyzing the measured NMR signal.

[0005] In solid-state NMR spectroscopy, in order to reduce line broadening due to anisotropic interactions, it is also known to rotate the NMR sample at high frequency (typically several kHz) during the spectroscopic measurement tilted at the so-called "magic angle" arctan V2 ~ 54.74° with respect to the static magnetic field ("MAS" = Magic Angle Spinning). For this purpose, the sample is packed into a MAS rotor. The MAS rotor is typically a cylindrical tube that is open on one side, which is closed with a cap, wherein the cap is provided with a wing element, in particular a small lobe wheel. The MAS rotor is arranged in a MAS stator, and the MAS rotor is driven to rotate using air pressure by means of the wing element.

[0006] PARTICULAR PRIOR ART

[0007] US 5,274,330 A (= reference [2]) discloses a drive system for controlling the adjustment of a plurality of actuators in an NMR spectrometer. The actuation drive comprises a drive train comprising one drive motor coupled to a drive shaft and a plurality of drive train outputs. The apparatus further comprises a wheel arrangement for coupling to a plurality of wheels driving a plurality of actuators. The drive motor is in a fixed position and the shaft is coupled to the drive motor via a gear box arrangement.

[0008] US 6,323,647 B1 (= reference [3]) describes a drive system for tuning an NMR probe using actuators in the form of motors, coupled via gears to a plurality of drive rods. A second motor changes the position of the actuator in one dimension to connect different drive rods. In this system, one actuator can control more than one element in the probe, but the number of elements that can be controlled by one actuator is rather limited. Furthermore, the gear mechanism does not allow a compact design, the actuators cannot be moved in three dimensions to access any position of the bottom of the probe.

[0009] WO 2019 / 100173 A1 (= reference [4]) discloses an NMR probe in which a plurality of actuators are directly connected to adjustment rods. The actuators are piezoelectric tuning elements in the head of the NMR probe.

[0010] US 7,800,369 B2 (= reference [5]) describes an NMR probe with a plurality of selectable linear adjustment rods, which are driven by a single actuator in the form of a motor. The rods are connected to the motor by corresponding driven gears, which are locked in azimuth to the rods. When the driven gears engage the drive gear, the single drive motor is energized and controlled to effect the desired adjustment. Movement of the motor itself is not possible.

[0011] In the apparatus according to reference [1] (already cited on the first page), the positioning of the control units consists of one or more drive units, one or more gear units and one or more drive shafts within the probe head. The position of the control units remains unchanged. However, their construction and mode of operation change. The apparatus uses one motor as an actuator for each item that needs to be adjusted, each item being fixed to its rod.

[0012] Most of the known prior art solutions currently available are based on a plurality of fixed mechanical actuators and require one dedicated actuator for each component that needs to be adjusted. The actuators are usually arranged in the bottom box of the probe head and each drive unit is directly connected to the adjustment rod, which also drives it. This arrangement is rather bulky and is not advantageous in the case of a special probe head that requires a plurality of adjustment rods.

[0013] Other solutions provide a single drive motor that can be coupled via gears to multiple adjustment rods, but all proposed solutions are space consuming and technically complex. This is particularly challenging considering the large number of components that need to be controlled and the very limited space available for placing all actuators in an NMR probe head.

[0014] For example, in a design of an NMR probe head for 4 different nuclear frequencies, at least 9 adjustment rods are needed to tune and match the frequencies, which requires a correspondingly large amount of space, especially if bulky gear units are used to convert rotational motion into translational motion. The drive units, which are usually located in the base box of the probe head, also require more space than is usually available.

[0015] Currently, due to space limitations, the number of available actuators available in a Standard Bore (“SB”) probe has been limited to less than 10. Even with this limited number of actuators, due to insufficient space to be located directly below the components that need to be adjusted, complex mechanical coupling mechanisms or linkages are needed to couple the actuators to the components that need to be manipulated.

[0016] Furthermore, since a dedicated actuator is needed for each component that needs to be manipulated, the complexity of the control electronics becomes more complex as the number of components that need to be controlled increases.

[0017] In addition, current solutions are limited to translational and rotational motion along the Z direction (along the length of the probe). SUMMARY

[0018] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0019] It is an object of the present invention to provide a space saving mechanism that drives all adjustment rods within an NMR probe head with as few drive units as possible. The system should have a low level of complexity and meet all motion requirements (i.e. rotation and translation) and thus be suitable as a platform solution for all types of probe heads.

[0020] In particular, one of the main points of the present invention should be that, unlike previous solutions, the complexity of the mechanical device should not increase with the number of components that need to be adjusted. It should be possible to control any number of components with as few actuators as possible.

[0021] Another main task of the present invention is to facilitate automatic tuning, matching, activation of mechanical switches in a general NMR probe, and in addition, in a MAS NMR probe, also the adjustment of the orientation of the MAS stator.

[0022] SUMMARY

[0023] This object is achieved according to the invention and in a surprisingly simple and effective manner by the generic NMR probe as initially defined, characterized in that the mechanical device comprises an actuator platform to which the actuators are attached, which platform is movably connected to a carrier gantry; the carrier gantry is equipped with three actuating elements arranged thereon, which actuating elements enable the carrier gantry to move the actuator platform into any desired spatial position relative to the adjustment rods; and the engagement system comprises a receiving element arranged on the lower end of each of the adjustment rods and an insertion element arranged on the top end of the actuators, wherein the insertion elements are designed and adapted to fit into any one of the receiving elements to mechanically couple the corresponding adjustment rod with the actuator, thereby providing the transmission of rotational and / or translational motion from the actuator to the adjustment rod.

[0024] The main idea of the invention is to control any number of components that need to be manipulated by using only four actuators in total, i.e. one master actuator for driving the rod and three actuating elements for precisely positioning the master actuator below the components that need to be manipulated. Because this master actuator can be positioned directly below any one of the components that need to be controlled, there is no longer a need for complex coupling links or mechanisms.

[0025] The master actuator is provided with an engagement system that allows for a reliable engagement of the actuation rod so that the rotational motion of the master actuator can be transmitted to the actuation rod.

[0026] The three actuating elements can be arranged on an XYZ gantry that moves a positioning platform on which the master actuator is fixed in all directions. As an alternative to the XYZ gantry, a cylindrical sample gantry can be used on which the positioning platform is pivoted and moved radially instead of XY motion.

[0027] The master actuator and the actuating elements are for example DC motors, piezo elements or even pneumatic elements and can be controlled directly or indirectly via the spectrometer console. In a preferred embodiment, the actuating elements will be controlled indirectly by the spectrometer console. In this case, the spectrometer console will only provide high-level instructions to the probe such as requesting the probe to tune a particular channel to a particular frequency or to change the orientation of the stator in the case of a magic angle spinning (MAS) probe.

[0028] With the invention, the number and geometry of components is minimized because only one master actuator and three actuating elements are needed compared to prior art solutions that all have more space requirements.

[0029] The system can easily be adapted to existing or commercially available NMR spectrometers without the need for any modifications in the magnet bore.

[0030] Preferred embodiments and further developments of the invention

[0031] In a first class of embodiments of the application, the carrier gantry is designed and adapted to move the actuator platform in Cartesian XYZ coordinates, comprising a first actuation element for linear movement in the X direction, a second actuation element for linear movement in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, and a third actuation element for linear movement in the Z direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions and parallel to the axis direction of the adjustment rod. The XYZ gantry only requires a small number of components to be assembled in a simple manner and allows the actuator platform to be moved efficiently in three spatial directions.

[0032] An alternative second class of embodiments is characterized in that the carrier gantry is designed and adapted to move the actuator platform in cylindrical pφZ coordinates, comprising a first actuation element for linear movement in the radial p direction, a second actuation element for rotational movement in the φ direction, and a third actuation element for linear movement in the Z direction parallel to the axis direction of the adjustment rod. It is also possible to use a cylinder on which the actuator platform is pivoted and moved radially instead of XY movement.

[0033] In both classes of embodiments described above, it can be advantageous if the mechanical device is designed and adapted to enable the main actuator to perform combined translational and rotational movement, wherein the actuation element performs the rotational movement and the third actuation element performs linear movement in the Z direction, which is transmitted to the main actuator via the actuator platform. For example, the actuation element in the Z direction can first be coarsely adjusted in the translational Z direction, as when flipping the MAS stator in the magic angle direction, and can then be precisely adjusted in a second step by the main actuator by means of rotational movement, whereby the MAS stator is precisely adjusted to the magic angle.

[0034] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the application, the engagement system is provided with a locking / unlocking mechanism that enables the insertion element of the main actuator to be locked in the receiving element of the adjustment rod in a releasable manner. This serves to connect the main actuator to the actuation rod, so that translational movement in both Z directions is also possible, i.e. it serves both as a push rod and as a pull rod (movement in the -Z direction as well as in the +Z direction).

[0035] An advantageous variant of these embodiments is characterized in that the locking / unlocking mechanism can be locked and released mechanically and / or electromagnetically.

[0036] Another class of preferred embodiments is characterized in that the control system comprises a hardware part for generating the movements and a software interface for controlling the movements of the three actuating elements of the carrier stage in order to move the actuator platform to a spatial position suitable for coupling the primary actuator to the selected adjustment rod, to couple the primary actuator to the selected adjustment rod, and to operate the primary actuator according to the requirements for moving the selected adjustment rod, thereby mechanically adjusting the mechanical or electrical parts of the NMR probe head connected to the selected adjustment rod. The control system will receive high-level instructions. Its units are typically located in the bottom housing of the NMR probe head head. These control units comprise electronic hardware and software. They will contain the necessary information specific to the NMR probe head head, such as,

[0037] 1. Which components need to be adjusted to achieve the requested result.

[0038] 2. The position of the rods or any other type of linkages connected to all components that can be adjusted by the primary actuator ( (x, y, z) coordinates or (p, f, z) in the case of cylindrical coordinates).

[0039] 3. The type of movement required for adjusting each component in the probe head, e.g. linear or rotational.

[0040] With this control system, the user can simply set the type of measurement to be performed via the operating software or an interface in the software, and the control system performs the settings in the probe head head.

[0041] It is particularly preferred that variants of these embodiments, in which the software interface of the control system is designed and adapted to automatically initiate and control the movements of the three actuating elements of the carrier stage and the movements of the actuator mounted to the actuator platform upon input of high-level instructions to the NMR probe head by a user of the NMR spectrometer in the spectrometer console. With the above information, the control system located in the NMR probe head head will move the primary actuator to the correct position to adjust the necessary components in the probe head to achieve the task requested by the user via the spectrometer console.

[0042] These variants can be further improved: the software interface of the control system is designed and adapted to facilitate automatic tuning, matching, activation of mechanical switches, and preferably additionally adjustment of the orientation of the MAS stator in MAS-NMR probe heads in the NMR probe head. This also means that for all probe heads, only one single automatic control system will be required.

[0043] Preferably, the adjustment lever is designed to mechanically adjust the trimmer capacitor, variable resistor, switch or inductor, and / or MAS angle adjustment element. The actuator in the NMR probe head is primarily designed as a drive system for the trimmer (i.e., adjustable capacitance), where the actuator can convert the rotational motion of the main actuator into translational motion via a gear mechanism. These gear mechanisms require additional space in the probe head, which is particularly problematic in standard aperture (4 cm diameter) probes. Therefore, the positioning device can also be moved in the Z direction via the actuator.

[0044] A further embodiment that is particularly useful in practice is characterized in that one or more of the three actuation elements mounted to the main actuator platform and / or the carrier stage include a DC motor, a piezoelectric element, or a pneumatic actuator. For example, an actuator for a DC motor (including a main actuator and an actuation element), a piezoelectric actuator, or even a pneumatic actuator can be controlled directly or indirectly via a spectrometer control console. In other embodiments, the actuator will be indirectly controlled by a spectrometer control console as described below.

[0045] The present invention also includes a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer comprising an NMR probe head as described above, characterized in that the NMR spectrometer includes a spectrometer control console that can be controlled by a user of the NMR spectrometer by providing high-level commands to the NMR probe.

[0046] Further advantages can be drawn from the description and accompanying drawings. The features described above and below can be used individually or collectively in any combination according to the invention. The mentioned embodiments should not be construed as exhaustive, but rather as exemplary features used to describe the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Detailed description of the invention and accompanying drawings

[0048] The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and explained in more detail based on illustrative embodiments. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0049] Figure 1 The NMR probe head according to the present invention is schematically shown, which has mechanical devices, control devices and spectrometer control console, the mechanical devices having a carrier stage and an actuator platform;

[0050] Figure 2a An embodiment of a mechanical device is illustrated in a schematic perspective view, the carrier platform of which is adapted to move in a Cartesian XYZ coordinate system;

[0051] Figure 2b A side view viewed in the y direction shows Figure 2a Examples;

[0052] Figure 2c An embodiment of the mechanical device is shown without the upper cover of the mechanical device, thereby revealing more details of the carrier gantry; Figure 2a

[0053] Figure 3a An embodiment of the mechanical device is shown in a schematic perspective view, the carrier gantry of the mechanical device being adapted to move in cylindrical rφz coordinates;

[0054] Figure 3b An embodiment of the mechanical device is shown in a side view as seen in the y direction; Figure 3a

[0055] Figure 3c An embodiment of the mechanical device is shown without the upper cover of the mechanical device, thereby revealing more details of the carrier gantry; Figure 3a

[0056] Figure 4a An embodiment of the engagement system is shown in a schematic partial perspective view, the locking / unlocking mechanism being in a released state;

[0057] Figure 4b An embodiment of the engagement system is shown in a released state; Figure 4a

[0058] An embodiment of the engagement system is shown in a released state in a schematic partial transparent side view; and Figure 4c Figure 4a An embodiment of the engagement system is shown in a locked state.

[0059] DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 4d Figure 4c The present invention proposes a novel NMR probe head 10 for use in an NMR spectrometer. The probe head 10 comprises a mechanical device 11; 11'; 11" designed and adapted to remotely tune, match and control the NMR probe head 10 during operation of the NMR spectrometer. The mechanical device 11; 11'; 11" comprises a plurality of adjustment rods 12 for mechanically adjusting mechanical or electrical parts in the NMR probe head 10 that need to be manipulated, the adjustment rods 12 being arranged essentially in the Z direction and being mechanically coupled to actuators 13'; 13" via an engagement system 14. Furthermore, the NMR spectrometer comprises a control system 15 for controlling the movement of the actuators 13'; 13".

[0060] The present invention proposes a novel NMR probe head 10 for use in an NMR spectrometer. The probe head 10 comprises a mechanical device 11; 11'; 11" designed and adapted to remotely tune, match and control the NMR probe head 10 during operation of the NMR spectrometer. The mechanical device 11; 11'; 11" comprises a plurality of adjustment rods 12 for mechanically adjusting mechanical or electrical parts in the NMR probe head 10 that need to be manipulated, the adjustment rods 12 being arranged essentially in the Z direction and being mechanically coupled to actuators 13'; 13" via an engagement system 14. Furthermore, the NMR spectrometer comprises a control system 15 for controlling the movement of the actuators 13'; 13".

[0061] ​​​​​The NMR probe head 10 according to the present application is characterized in that the mechanical device 11; 11'; 11" comprises an actuator platform 16'; 16" to which a single main actuator 13'; 13" is attached, the platform 16'; 16" being movably connected to a carrier gantry 17'; 17". The carrier gantry 17'; 17" is equipped with three actuation elements 13'a, 13' b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c arranged thereon, which enable the carrier gantry 17'; 17" to move the actuator platform 16'; 16" into any desired spatial position relative to the adjustment rods 12. The engagement system 14 comprises receiving elements 14b arranged on the lower end of each adjustment rod 12 and insertion elements 14a arranged on the top end of the main actuator 13'; 13", wherein the insertion elements 14a are designed and adapted to fit into any one of the receiving elements 14b to mechanically couple the corresponding adjustment rod 12 with the main actuator 13'; 13", thereby providing the transmission of rotational and / or translational motion from the main actuator 13'; 13" to the adjustment rod 12.

[0062] Figure 1 The main constituents of the NMR probe head 10 according to the present application are depicted in very schematic form, comprising a mechanical device 11 and a control system 15, which comprises both hardware and software components, both physically implemented in the probe base. A spectrometer console 19 of the NMR spectrometer is electrically connected to the control system 15 and is controllable by a user of the NMR spectrometer by inputting high-level commands to the NMR probe.

[0063] The NMR spectrometer user interacts with the probe via the spectrometer console 19. High-level commands are sent by the spectrometer console 19 to the actuator controller 15, which in turn sends the required instructions to the actuators in the actuator platform 16'; 16" to achieve the task required by the spectrometer console 19. The actuators 13'; 13" as well as the actuation elements 13'a, 13' b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c can provide feedback to the controller 15, which will determine whether the task was successfully completed, and this information will be transmitted back to the spectrometer console 19 by the actuator controller 15.

[0064] The control system 15 comprises a hardware part (not shown in the figures) for generating movements and a software interface for controlling the movements of the three actuating elements 13'a, 13'b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c of the carrier stage 17'; 17" in order to move the actuator platform 16'; 16" to a spatial position suitable for coupling the primary actuator 13'; 13" to a selected adjustment rod 12, to couple the actuator 13'; 13" to this selected adjustment rod 12 and to operate the actuator 13'; 13" according to the requirements for moving this selected adjustment rod 12, thereby mechanically adjusting the mechanical or electrical part of the NMR probe head connected to this selected adjustment rod 12.

[0065] In particular, the primary actuator 13'; 13" is designed to remotely control the adjustment of an electrical and / or mechanical unit, such as a capacitive trimmer, a variable resistor, an adjustable inductor, for the frequency setting in an NMR probe head of an NMR spectrometer with multiple drive units and multiple gear units coupled to multiple adjustment rods of the probe.

[0066] One or more of the primary actuator 13'; 13" and / or the three actuating elements 13'a, 13'b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c of the carrier stage 17'; 17" mounted to the actuator platform 16'; 16" can comprise a DC motor, a piezoelectric element or a pneumatically operated actuator (not shown in the figures).

[0067] The software interface of the control system 15 is designed and adapted to automatically initiate and control the movements of the three actuating elements 13'a, 13'b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c of the carrier stage 17'; 17" and the movements of the primary actuator 13'; 13" mounted to the actuator platform 16'; 16" upon input of high-level instructions to the NMR probe head by a user of the NMR spectrometer in the spectrometer console 19.

[0068] Furthermore, the software interface of the control system 15 is designed and adapted to facilitate the automatic tuning, matching, activation of mechanical switches in the NMR probe head and, preferably, additionally the adjustment of the orientation of the MAS stator in a MAS-NMR probe head.

[0069] Figures 2a to 2cAn embodiment of the mechanical device 11' is illustrated, wherein the carrier stage 17' is designed and adapted to move in Cartesian XYZ coordinates, comprising a first actuating element 13'a for linear movement in the X direction, a second actuating element 13' b for linear movement in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, and a third actuating element 13'c for linear movement in the Z direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions and parallel to the axis direction of the adjustment rod 12. In this embodiment, the actuator platform 16' is based on translational movement only. Thus, here the primary actuator 13' is based on Cartesian coordinate positioning.

[0070] As shown in these figures, a selected one of the plurality of adjustment rods 12 is mechanically coupled to the insertion element 14a of the primary actuator 13' via its receiving element 14b.

[0071] Figures 3a to 3c An embodiment of the mechanical device 11" is illustrated, wherein the carrier stage 17" is designed and adapted to move the actuator platform 16" in cylindrical pφZ coordinates, comprising a first actuating element 13"a for linear movement in the radial p direction, a second actuating element 13"b for rotational movement in the φ direction, and a third actuating element 13"c for linear movement in the Z direction parallel to the axis direction of the adjustment rod 12. In this embodiment, the actuator platform 16" is based on rotational and translational movement. Thus, here the primary actuator 13' is based on cylindrical coordinate positioning.

[0072] In embodiments of the present application, the mechanical device 11; 11'; 11" can further be designed and adapted to enable the actuator 13'; 13" to perform combined translational and rotational movement, whereby the actuator 13'; 13" performs rotational movement and the third actuating element 13'c; 13"c performs linear movement in the Z direction, which is transferred to the actuator 13'; 13" via the actuator platform 16'; 16".

[0073] Figures 4a to 4d An embodiment of the engagement system 14 is illustrated, which is provided with a locking / unlocking mechanism 18, which enables the insertion element 14a of the actuator 13'; 13" to be releasably locked in the receiving element 14b of the adjustment rod 12. While Figure 4a and Figure 4c The mechanism 18 is shown in the released state, Figure 4b and Figure 4d depicted as being in the locked state.

[0074] The locking / unlocking mechanism 18 can be mechanically and / or electromagnetically locked and released.

[0075] List of reference signs:

[0076] 10 NMR probe head

[0077] 11; 11'; 11" mechanical device

[0078] 12 plurality of adjustment rods

[0079] 13'; 13" main actuator

[0080] 13'a, 13' b, 13'c;

[0081] 13"a, 13"b, 13"c actuation element

[0082] 14 engagement system

[0083] 14a insertion element

[0084] 14b receiving element

[0085] 15 control system

[0086] 16'; 16" actuator platform

[0087] 17'; 17" carrier gantry

[0088] 18 locking / unlocking mechanism

[0089] 19 spectrometer console

[0090] List of cited prior art:

[0091] Publications for consideration in assessing the patentability of the present invention:

[0092] [1] DE 197 44 763 C2 ≈ EP 0 908 738 B1 ≈ US 6,204,665 B1 ≈ JP 3164555 B2

[0093] [2] EP 0 518 100 B1 ≈ US 5,274,330 A

[0094] [3] US 6,323,647 B1

[0095] [4] WO 2019 / 100173 A1

[0096] [5] US 7,800,369 B2

Claims

1. NMR probe head (10) for use in a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, the NMR probe head (10) comprising a mechanical device (11; 11'; 11") designed and adapted to remotely tune, match and control the NMR probe head (10) during operation of the NMR spectrometer, the mechanical device (11; 11'; 11") comprising a plurality of adjustment rods (12) to mechanically adjust mechanical or electrical parts that need to be manipulated in the NMR probe head (10), the adjustment rods (12) being arranged essentially along a Z direction and being mechanically coupled to actuators (13'; 13") via an engagement system (14), and the NMR probe head comprising a control system (15) to control the motion of the actuators (13'; 13"), characterized in that the mechanical device (11; 11'; 11") comprises an actuator platform (16'; 16") to which the actuators (13'; 13") are attached, the actuator platform (16'; 16") being movably connected to a carrier gantry (17'; 17"); the carrier gantry (17'; 17") is equipped with three actuating elements (13'a, 13' b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c) arranged thereon, which enable the carrier gantry (17'; 17") to move the actuator platform (16'; 16") into any desired spatial position relative to the adjustment rods (12); and the engagement system (14) comprises a receiving element (14b) arranged on a lower end of each of the adjustment rods (12) and an insertion element (14a) arranged on a top end of the actuators (13'; 13"), wherein the insertion element (14a) is designed and adapted to fit into any one of the receiving elements (14b) to mechanically couple the corresponding adjustment rod (12) with the actuator (13'; 13"), thereby providing a transfer of rotational and / or translational motion from the actuator (13'; 13") to the adjustment rod (12). the carrier gantry (17') is designed and adapted to move the actuator platform (16') in Cartesian XYZ coordinates, comprising a first actuating element (13'a) for linear motion in the X direction, a second actuating element (13' b) for linear motion in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, and a third actuating element (13'c) for linear motion in the Z direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions and parallel to the axis direction of the adjustment rods (12).

2. The NMR probe head of claim 1, wherein the carrier gantry (17") is designed and adapted to move the actuator platform (16") in cylindrical pphZ coordinates, comprising a first actuating element (13"a) for linear motion in the radial p direction, a second actuating element (13"b) for rotational motion in the direction of p, and a third actuating element (13"c) for linear motion in the Z direction parallel to the axis direction of the adjustment rods (12).

3. The NMR probe head of claim 1, wherein, ​ 4. An NMR probe head according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that, The mechanical device (11; 11'; 11") is designed and adapted to enable combined translational and rotational movement of the actuator (13'; 13") whereby the actuator (13'; 13") performs a rotational movement and the third actuation element (13'c; 13"c) performs a linear movement in the Z direction transmitted to the actuator (13'; 13") via the actuator platform (16'; 16").

5. The NMR probe head of any of the preceding claims, wherein, The joint system (14) is provided with a locking / unlocking mechanism (18) enabling the insertion element (14a) of the actuator (13'; 13") to be locked in a releasable manner in the receiving element (14b) of the adjustment rod (12).

6. The NMR probe head of claim 5, wherein, The locking / unlocking mechanism (18) can be locked and released mechanically and / or electromagnetically.

7. The NMR probe head of any of the preceding claims, wherein, The control system (15) comprises a hardware part for generating movements and a software interface for controlling the movements of the three actuation elements (13'a, 13' b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c) of the carrier gantry (17'; 17") in order to move the actuator platform (16'; 16") to a spatial position suitable for coupling the actuator (13'; 13") to a selected adjustment rod (12), to couple the actuator (13'; 13") to this selected adjustment rod (12) and to operate the actuator (13'; 13") in accordance with the requirements for moving this selected adjustment rod (12) in order to mechanically adjust the mechanical or electrical part of the NMR probe connected to this selected adjustment rod (12).

8. The NMR probe head of claim 7, wherein, The software interface of the control system (15) is designed and adapted to automatically initiate and control the movements of the three actuation elements (13'a, 13' b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c) of the carrier gantry (17'; 17") and the movements of the actuator (13'; 13") mounted to the actuator platform (16'; 16") upon input of high-level instructions to the NMR probe by a user of the NMR spectrometer in the spectrometer console (19).

9. The NMR probe head of claim 8, wherein, The software interface of the control system (15) is designed and adapted to facilitate automatic tuning, matching, activation of mechanical switches and, preferably, adjustment of the orientation of the MAS stator in the NMR probe.

10. The NMR probe head of any of the preceding claims, wherein, The adjustment rod (12) is designed and adapted to mechanically adjust a trimmer capacitor, a variable resistor, a switch or an inductor and / or a MAS angle adjustment element.

11. The NMR probe head of any of the preceding claims, wherein, One or more of the actuation elements (13'a, 13' b, 13'c; 13"a, 13"b, 13"c) of the actuator (13'; 13") mounted to the actuator platform (16'; 16") and / or of the carrier gantry (17'; 17") comprise a DC motor, a piezoelectric element or a pneumatic operator.

12. NMR spectrometer with an NMR probe head (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The NMR spectrometer comprises a spectrometer console (19) which can be controlled by a user of the NMR spectrometer by input of high-level instructions to the NMR probe.

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