A crystal sample holder for a liquid nitrogen environment

Abstract

The application relates to a crystal sample base clamp for a liquid nitrogen environment, which comprises a driving assembly, a fixing assembly, a moving assembly connected with the driving assembly, the driving assembly drives the moving assembly to move relative to the fixing assembly between a first position and a second position, a clamp jaw assembly comprising a first clamp jaw and a second clamp jaw, the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw are rotationally connected with the fixing assembly, the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw are away from each other in response to the moving assembly moving from the first position to the second position, and the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw are close to each other in response to the moving assembly moving from the second position to the first position. The crystal sample base clamp for the liquid nitrogen environment of the application drives the moving assembly to reciprocate relative to the fixing assembly through the driving assembly, so that the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw are close to or away from each other, thereby realizing the opening and closing of the clamp jaw assembly, and the structure is simple and the movement is more stable.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of crystallography, and more particularly to a crystal sample holder clamp for liquid nitrogen environment. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the process of crystallography research, it is often necessary to use a crystal sample holder clamp to exchange crystal sample holders between a liquid nitrogen storage Dewar and a diffractometer goniometer head. The speed, accuracy and stability of sample exchange significantly affect the efficiency of crystallography experiments.

[0003] The crystal sample holder clamp is a device for grabbing and releasing the crystal sample holder. In operation, it needs to be inserted into liquid nitrogen for a long time and frequently exchanges the crystal sample holder between the liquid nitrogen storage Dewar and the diffractometer goniometer head. The existing crystal sample holder clamp includes a plurality of motion mechanisms connected by bearings or other parts, thereby realizing the grabbing and releasing of the crystal sample holder.

[0004] The motion mechanism of the existing clamp is complex, and problems such as jamming, failure to grab and release, and position deviation are prone to occur during operation. In addition, icing is prone to occur due to long-term storage in liquid nitrogen, and a heating device is usually required to prevent the clamp from failing to operate normally due to icing, which further complicates the structure of the clamp. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to provide a crystal sample holder clamp for liquid nitrogen environment, which is simple in structure and stable in motion.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a crystal sample holder clamp for liquid nitrogen environment, comprising:

[0007] a driving assembly;

[0008] a fixed assembly;

[0009] a motion assembly connected to the driving assembly, the driving assembly driving the motion assembly to move relative to the fixed assembly between a first position and a second position;

[0010] a clamp jaw assembly comprising a first clamp jaw and a second clamp jaw, the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw are both rotationally connected to the fixed assembly;

[0011] In response to the motion assembly moving from the first position to the second position, the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw move away from each other, and in response to the motion assembly moving from the second position to the first position, the first clamp jaw and the second clamp jaw move towards each other.

[0012] Further, the driving assembly includes a cylinder connecting rod and a cylinder body, the cylinder connecting rod and the cylinder body are movable relative to each other, and the direction of movement is parallel to the length direction of the fixed assembly.

[0013] Further, the movement assembly comprises an outer connecting sleeve, a movement sleeve and a movement link connected in sequence along the axial direction, the outer connecting sleeve is fixedly connected with the cylinder body; the movement link is arranged to apply extrusion force to the first and second clamping jaws when the movement assembly is in the second position, so that the first and second clamping jaws are away from each other.

[0014] Further, the movement link has two inner walls fixedly and oppositely arranged in the transverse direction, the inner walls are provided with protrusions, and the heads of the first and second clamping jaws are in contact with the inner walls of the movement link.

[0015] Further, the upper end and the lower end of the first and second clamping jaws are both provided with grooves accommodating the protrusions.

[0016] Further, when the movement assembly is in the first position, the protrusions of the movement link are in contact with the lower ends of the heads of the first and second clamping jaws, and extrude the first and second clamping jaws, so that the first and second clamping jaws are away from each other.

[0017] When the movement assembly is in the second position, the protrusions of the movement link are in contact with the upper ends of the heads of the first and second clamping jaws, and extrude the first and second clamping jaws, so that the first and second clamping jaws are close to each other.

[0018] Further, the first and second clamping jaws are rotatably connected with the fixed assembly through a pin shaft, and the pin shaft is arranged between the upper end and the lower end.

[0019] Further, the fixed assembly comprises a support column connected with the cylinder link, and a support block fixedly arranged at the bottom of the support column, and the first and second clamping jaws are rotatably connected with the support block through a pin shaft.

[0020] Further, the movement link and the support column are both made of carbon fiber material.

[0021] Further, the movement assembly is hollow, and the fixed assembly is arranged in the inner cavity of the movement assembly.

[0022] The crystallography sample holder for liquid nitrogen environments of the present invention uses a drive assembly to drive a moving assembly to reciprocate relative to a fixed assembly, causing the first and second grippers to move closer or further apart, thereby opening and closing the gripper assembly. The structure is simple and the movement is more stable. The moving sleeve and support column are made of carbon fiber, which prevents the low temperature of liquid nitrogen from being transmitted to the cylinder connecting rod and cylinder body, preventing them from freezing and ensuring stable operation. The cylinder body drives the moving connecting rod in reciprocating motion, causing the protrusion of the moving connecting rod to press against the upper and lower ends of the first and second grippers, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the gripper assembly. This simplifies the structure of the motion mechanism, effectively reduces the error rate, and improves the stability of gripping. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a crystal sample holder for a liquid nitrogen environment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2A This is a cross-sectional view of a crystal sample holder for a liquid nitrogen environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the motion component is located in the first position;

[0025] Figure 2B for Figure 2A Enlarged view of Part I;

[0026] Figure 3A This is a cross-sectional view of a crystal sample holder for a liquid nitrogen environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the motion component is located in the second position;

[0027] Figure 3B for Figure 3A Enlarged view of Part II. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given below with reference to the accompanying drawings and described in detail.

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2A As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a crystal sample holder for a liquid nitrogen environment, including a driving component 10, a moving component 20, a fixing component 30, and a gripper assembly 40. The moving component 20 is slidably connected to the fixing component 30, and the sliding direction is parallel to the length direction of the fixing component 30. The driving component 10 is connected to the moving component 20 to drive the moving component 20 to move relative to the fixing component 30 between a first position and a second position. The gripper assembly 40 includes a first gripper 41 and a second gripper 42 disposed opposite to each other. The first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 are rotatably connected to the fixing component 30 and can rotate relative to the fixing component 30 between a closed position and an open position. Figure 2A and Figure 2BAs shown, when the moving assembly 20 is at the first position, the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 are at the closed position and close to each other to clamp the crystal sample holder 50; when the moving assembly 20 moves from the first position to the second position, it will make the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 rotate from the closed position to the open position relative to the fixed assembly 30, so that the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 are away from each other to release the crystal sample holder 50; when the moving assembly 20 moves from the second position to the first position, the moving assembly 20 will make the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 rotate from the open position to the closed position, so that the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 are close to each other to clamp the crystal sample holder 50 again. Thus, through the reciprocating movement of the moving assembly 20, the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 can be close to or away from each other, so as to realize the closing and opening of the gripper assembly 40, so as to realize the grabbing and releasing of the crystal sample holder 50.

[0030] As shown in the figure, Figure 2A The driving assembly 10 can be a double-output shaft air cylinder, which includes a cylinder connecting rod 11 (i.e. a piston rod) and a cylinder body 12. By controlling the change of air pressure in the cylinder body 12 through compressed air, the relative movement between the cylinder connecting rod 11 and the cylinder body 12 can be controlled. The double-output shaft air cylinder is a conventional driving element in the art, and its structure and principle will not be described here.

[0031] The moving assembly 20 includes an outer connecting sleeve 21, a moving sleeve 22 and a moving connecting rod 23 connected in sequence in the axial direction. The outer connecting sleeve 21 can be fixedly connected with the cylinder body 12 by screws, and the two ends of the moving sleeve 22 can be respectively sleeved on the outer sides of the outer connecting sleeve 21 and the moving connecting rod 23 and fixedly connected with them by screws. In this way, the moving assembly 20 can be fixedly connected with the cylinder body 12, and the alignment of the moving assembly 20 can be ensured.

[0032] The moving assembly 20 is hollow inside, and the fixed assembly 30 is arranged in the inner cavity of the moving assembly 20. The fixed assembly 30 includes a support column 31, which is connected with the cylinder connecting rod 11 through an inner connecting sleeve 32. For example, the two ends of the inner connecting sleeve 32 are respectively sleeved on the outer sides of the bottom of the cylinder connecting rod 11 and the top of the support column 31, and are fixedly connected with them by screws. The bottom of the support column 31 is fixedly provided with a support block 33, and the first gripper 41 and the second gripper 42 are rotatably connected to the support block 33. In this way, the alignment of the fixed assembly 30 can be ensured.

[0033] Specifically, the first gripper 41 is rotatably connected to the support block 33 through a pin shaft 43, and the second gripper 42 is rotatably connected to the support block 33 through a pin shaft 44, so that the first gripper 41 can rotate around the pin shaft 43 between the closed position and the open position, and the second gripper 42 can rotate around the pin shaft 44 between the closed position and the open position.

[0034] In use, the cylinder connecting rod 11 remains fixed, and the cylinder body 12 can move relative to the cylinder connecting rod 11 between a first position and a second position. When the cylinder body 12 is in the first position, as shown in Figure 2A , the cylinder connecting rod 11 is at the uppermost end of the chamber of the cylinder body 12, the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 are both in the closed position and close to each other, and the jaw assembly 40 is in the closed state; when the cylinder body 12 moves from the first position to the second position, the outer connecting sleeve 21, the moving sleeve 22 and the moving connecting rod 23 also move from the first position to the second position along with the cylinder body 12, while the inner connecting sleeve 32, the support column 31 and the support block 33 remain fixed; when the cylinder body 12 moves to the second position, as shown in Figure 3A , the cylinder connecting rod 11 is at the lowermost end of the chamber of the cylinder body 12, and the moving connecting rod 23 also moves to the second position; at this time, the moving connecting rod 23 exerts a pressing force on the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42, and under the action of the pressing force, the first jaw 41 rotates about the pin shaft 43 from the closed position to the open position, and the second jaw 42 rotates about the pin shaft 44 from the closed position to the open position; the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 are away from each other, and the jaw assembly 40 is in the open state.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2B and Figure 3B , the moving connecting rod 23 has two inner walls that are transversely fixed and oppositely arranged, and a protrusion 231 is arranged on the inner wall; the head 411 of the first jaw 41 is connected to the support block 33 through the pin shaft 43, and the upper end and the lower end of the head 411 (the pin shaft 43 is between the upper end and the lower end) are in contact with the inner walls of the moving connecting rod 23, and a groove for accommodating the protrusion 231 is arranged between the upper end and the lower end. Since the second jaw 42 has the same structure as the first jaw 41, the structure of the second jaw 42 will not be described here. When the moving connecting rod 23 is in the first position, as shown in Figure 2BAs shown, the protrusion 231 is in contact with the lower end of the head 411 and exerts a pressing force on it, which makes the first jaw 41 rotate counterclockwise and the second jaw 42 rotate clockwise, so that the two jaws are close to each other to clamp the crystal sample holder 50; when the movement link 23 moves from the first position to the second position, the protrusion 231 is located in the groove of the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 and does not press the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42, at this time, the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 are in a released or relaxed state and have a certain degree of freedom and cannot clamp the sample holder 50; when the movement link 23 moves to the second position, the protrusion 231 is in contact with the upper end of the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 and exerts a pressing force on the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42, which makes the first jaw 41 rotate clockwise around the pin shaft 43 to the open position and makes the second jaw 42 rotate counterclockwise around the pin shaft 44 to the open position, so that the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 are away from each other to release the crystal sample holder 50; when the movement link 23 moves from the second position to the first position, the protrusion 231 is in contact with the lower end of the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 again, thereby pressing the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 to make them close to each other.

[0036] Since a crystal sample holder of a uniform specification is usually used to carry a crystal sample in crystallography research, the first jaw 41 and the second jaw 42 of the present application can be configured to match the universal crystal sample holder, so that the applicability is better.

[0037] The crystal sample holder clamp can be installed on a six-axis robot, so that the crystal sample holder clamp is freely moved by the six-axis robot to realize automatic sample changing of the crystal sample in crystallography research. Specifically, the cylinder link 11 is fixedly connected with the six-axis robot, and the six-axis robot can realize opening and closing of the jaw assembly 40 by controlling the reciprocating movement of the cylinder body 12, so as to realize automatic grabbing and releasing of the crystal sample, and the six-axis robot can also realize free movement, for example, placing the grabbed crystal sample into liquid nitrogen or taking the crystal sample out of liquid nitrogen, and the like, so as to realize automatic sample changing. A torque sensor can be arranged at the connection between the cylinder link 11 and the six-axis robot, which is used to measure the torque generated between the six-axis robot and the cylinder link 11 in real time.

[0038] In crystallography research, the jaw assembly 40, the movement link 23 and the movement sleeve 22 all need to be immersed in liquid nitrogen, and the low temperature will be transmitted to the driving assembly 10, which causes it to freeze and cannot operate normally. In some embodiments, the movement sleeve 22 and the support column 31 can be made of carbon fiber material, which can effectively isolate heat conduction, so that on the one hand, the low temperature can be prevented from being transmitted to the cylinder link 11 and the cylinder body 12 to ensure stable operation thereof, and on the other hand, the structure of the clamp can be made more light and convenient.

[0039] The first clamping jaw 41 and the second clamping jaw 42 can be made of copper, aluminum, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, or other materials that can keep stable shape and properties in liquid nitrogen. The outer connecting sleeve 21, the inner connecting sleeve 32, and the support block 33 can be made of copper to ensure wear resistance and lubricity.

[0040] The crystallographic sample base clamp for liquid nitrogen environment of the embodiment of the present application drives the moving assembly 20 to reciprocate relative to the fixed assembly 30 through the driving assembly 10, so that the first clamping jaw 41 and the second clamping jaw 42 are close to or away from each other, thereby realizing the opening and closing of the clamping jaw assembly 40, which is simple in structure and stable in movement. The moving sleeve 22 and the support column 31 are made of carbon fiber material, which can avoid the low temperature of liquid nitrogen from being transferred to the cylinder connecting rod 11 and the cylinder body 12, avoid the freezing of the cylinder connecting rod 11 and the cylinder body 12, and ensure the stable operation. The convex 231 of the moving connecting rod 23 is extruded with the upper end and the lower end of the first clamping jaw 41 and the second clamping jaw 42 through the reciprocating movement of the cylinder body 12 with the moving connecting rod 23, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the clamping jaw assembly 40, simplifying the structure of the moving mechanism, effectively reducing the error rate, and improving the stability of clamping.

[0041] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not used to limit the scope of the present application. The above embodiment of the present application can be variously changed. That is, any simple, equivalent change and modification made according to the content of the claims and the description of the present application falls within the scope of protection of the present application. The present application is not described in detail, which is the conventional technical content.

Claims

1. A crystal sample holder for use in a liquid nitrogen environment, characterized in that, include: Driver components; Fixed components; A motion component is connected to the drive component, and the drive component drives the motion component to move relative to the fixed component between a first position and a second position; The gripper assembly includes a first gripper and a second gripper, both of which are rotatably connected to the fixing assembly; In response to the motion component moving from a first position to a second position, the first gripper and the second gripper move away from each other; in response to the motion component moving from a second position to a first position, the first gripper and the second gripper move closer to each other. The drive assembly includes a cylinder connecting rod and a cylinder body, the cylinder connecting rod and the cylinder body are movable relative to each other, and the direction of movement is parallel to the length direction of the fixed assembly; The motion assembly includes an outer connecting sleeve, a motion sleeve, and a motion connecting rod connected sequentially along the axial direction. The outer connecting sleeve is fixedly connected to the cylinder body. The motion connecting rod is configured to apply a compressive force to the first gripper and the second gripper when the motion assembly is in the second position, so that the first gripper and the second gripper move away from each other. The motion link has two inner walls that are fixed laterally and arranged opposite each other. The inner walls are provided with protrusions, and the heads of the first gripper and the second gripper contact the inner walls of the motion link. The first gripper and the second gripper are both provided with grooves to accommodate the protrusion between the upper and lower ends of their heads; When the motion component is in the first position, the protrusion of the motion link contacts the lower end of the head of the first gripper and the second gripper, and squeezes the first gripper and the second gripper, so that the first gripper and the second gripper move closer to each other; When the motion component is in the second position, the protrusion of the motion link contacts the upper end of the head of the first gripper and the second gripper, and squeezes the first gripper and the second gripper, causing the first gripper and the second gripper to move away from each other.

2. The crystal sample holder for liquid nitrogen environment according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first gripper and the second gripper are rotatably connected to the fixing assembly via a pin, and the pin is located between the upper end and the lower end.

3. The crystal sample holder for liquid nitrogen environment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fixing component includes a support column connected to the cylinder connecting rod, and a support block is fixed at the bottom of the support column. The first gripper and the second gripper are rotatably connected to the support block by a pin.

4. The crystal sample holder for liquid nitrogen environment according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the motion link and the support column are made of carbon fiber.

5. The crystal sample holder for liquid nitrogen environment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving component is hollow inside, and the fixing component is disposed in the inner cavity of the moving component.

Images