Sample placing assembly and vacuum sample transferring system

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of vacuum equipment, and discloses a sample placing assembly and a vacuum sample transferring system. The sample parking assembly comprises a mounting plate, a rotating shaft and a parking table. The rotating shaft is rotationally connected with the mounting plate. The parking table is fixedly connected with the rotating shaft, the parking table comprises a plurality of stations, the stations are used for parking samples, and the parking table is rotationally connected with the mounting plate through the rotating shaft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of vacuum equipment, and in particular to a sample parking component and a vacuum sample transfer system. Background Art

[0002] In vacuum systems, sample transfer arms are often used to transfer samples between multiple subsystems. The front end of the sample transfer arm is generally equipped with a sample parking platform, which enters the subsystem from the sample parking platform to transfer samples. The existing sample parking platform is fixed in direction, and samples can only be placed in one direction after entering the subsystem, so that the sample placement direction of all subsystems must be unified (uniformly counterclockwise or clockwise), which brings many limitations to the design of the sample transfer solution and the subsystem layout. Utility Model Content

[0003] The present disclosure provides a sample parking assembly, comprising:

[0004] Mounting plate;

[0005] a rotating shaft, rotatably connected to the mounting plate; and

[0006] The parking platform is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. The parking platform includes a plurality of workstations for parking samples. The parking platform is rotatably connected to the mounting plate through the rotating shaft.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample parking assembly further includes a limiting assembly, which cooperates with the rotating shaft or the parking platform to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the limiting assembly includes:

[0009] A limit arm, one end of which is rotatably connected to the mounting plate; and

[0010] The roller is rotatably connected to the other end of the limiting arm, and the outer surface of the roller matches the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft or the parking platform to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the limiting assembly also includes an elastic component, one end of which is connected to the mounting plate, and the other end of the elastic component is connected to the limiting arm, for applying a force to the roller that cooperates with the outer circumference of the rotating shaft or the parking platform.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mounting plate includes at least one mounting plate bolt mounting hole for mounting a bolt to fix one end of the elastic component.

[0013] The limiting arm includes at least one limiting arm bolt mounting hole for mounting a bolt to fix the other end of the elastic component.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer circumference of the rotating shaft or the parking platform includes a plurality of circumferential grooves, and the limiting assembly cooperates with the plurality of circumferential grooves on the outer circumference of the rotating shaft or the parking platform to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rotating shaft includes a connecting portion and a protruding portion, and a plurality of circumferential grooves are provided on an outer circumferential surface of the protruding portion; or

[0016] The parking platform comprises a sample platform and a limiting portion, wherein the limiting portion is arranged below the sample platform, and a plurality of circumferential grooves are arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the limiting portion.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample parking assembly further includes at least one toggle post, and the at least one toggle post is disposed on the parking platform and is used to adjust the sample transfer direction of the parking platform.

[0018] The present disclosure provides a vacuum sample transfer system, comprising:

[0019] a vacuum chamber; and

[0020] According to any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample parking assembly is disposed in a vacuum chamber.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vacuum sample transfer system further comprises:

[0022] A robotic arm, the distal end of which is fixedly connected to the proximal end of the mounting plate, and the robotic arm drives the sample parking assembly to transfer the sample in the vacuum chamber; and / or

[0023] A manipulator is at least partially disposed in the vacuum chamber and is used to adjust the sample transfer direction of the parking platform.

[0024] The sample parking assembly and vacuum sample transfer system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can bring beneficial technical effects. For example, the parking table in the sample parking assembly and vacuum sample transfer system in some embodiments of the present disclosure can rotate, so it can adapt to any sample transfer direction, thereby increasing the diversity of subsystem interconnection and providing convenient conditions for system expansion. For another example, the sample parking assembly and vacuum sample transfer system in some embodiments of the present disclosure can park multiple samples at the same time, thereby improving the sample transfer efficiency. For another example, the sample parking assembly and vacuum sample transfer system in some embodiments of the present disclosure have rotational self-locking positioning, small rotational amplitude, and improved sample transfer stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only one embodiment of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a sample parking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 2 A side view of a sample parking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a mounting plate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a rotating shaft according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a sample parking assembly according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0031] Figure 6 A partial structural schematic diagram of a vacuum sample transfer system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0032] Figure 7 The schematic diagram of the structure of the vacuum sample transfer system according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In the above drawings, each reference numeral represents: 1000 - vacuum sample transfer system

[0033] 100-Sample Parking Kit

[0034] 110-Mounting plate

[0035] 111a, 111b-Mounting plate bolt mounting holes

[0036] 112-Fixed seat

[0037] 120-Rotary shaft

[0038] 121- Circumferential groove

[0039] 122-Connection

[0040] 123-protrusion

[0041] 130-Parking station

[0042] 131-Workstation

[0043] 132a, 132b, 132c - sample holder

[0044] 133-Fixed end

[0045] 134-Shrapnel

[0046] 140-Limiting component

[0047] 141-limiting arm 1411a, 1411b-limiting arm bolt mounting hole 142-roller

[0048] 143-Elastic components

[0049] 150-Switch column

[0050] 200-Vacuum Chamber

[0051] 300-Robotic Arm

[0052] 400-Manipulator DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all embodiments.

[0054] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", "top", "bottom" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two elements. In the description of the present disclosure, the distal end or the distal side refers to an end or a side that penetrates into a vacuum environment (e.g., a vacuum chamber), and the proximal end or the proximal side refers to an end or a side opposite to the distal end or the distal side (e.g., an end or a side that is away from the vacuum chamber, or an end or a side that is close to the vacuum chamber wall in the vacuum chamber, etc.). Alternatively, the end or the side that is close to the driving device is the proximal end or the proximal side, and the end or the side that is away from the driving device is the distal end or the distal side. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0055] Figure 1FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a sample parking assembly 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] Figure 2 A side view of a sample parking assembly 100 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample parking assembly 100 may include a mounting plate 110, a rotating shaft 120, and a parking platform 130. The rotating shaft 120 is rotatably connected to the mounting plate 110 (for example, the rotatable connection may be achieved through a bearing). The parking platform 130 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 120, and the parking platform 130 includes a plurality of workstations 131, and the plurality of workstations 131 are used to park the samples. The parking platform 130 is rotatably connected to the mounting plate 110 through the rotating shaft 120.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rotating shaft 120 and the parking platform 130 may be integrally formed. The rotating shaft 120 and the parking platform 130 may also be separately formed and then assembled.

[0059] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 Although the parking platform 130 is shown to include three workstations 131, this is only exemplary. The parking platform 130 can also include other suitable numbers of workstations 131, such as two, four or more.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the parking platform 130 can rotate, so as to adapt to any sample transfer direction and be flexible to use. In some embodiments, the parking platform 130 can park multiple samples at the same time, so as to improve the sample transfer efficiency.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample parking assembly 100 may further include a limiting assembly 140 , which cooperates with the rotating shaft 120 or the parking platform 130 to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft 120 .

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the limiting assembly 140 may include a limiting arm 141 and a roller 142. One end of the limiting arm 141 is rotatably connected to the mounting plate 110 (for example, the rotatable connection may be achieved through a bearing). The roller 142 is rotatably connected to the other end of the limiting arm 141 (for example, the rotatable connection may be achieved through a bearing), and the outer surface of the roller 142 cooperates with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 120 or the parking platform 130 to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft 120. The limiting assembly 140 can realize the rotational self-locking position of the sample parking assembly 100.

[0063] like Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the limiting arm 141 is in an arc shape to avoid interference with the movement of the rotating shaft 120. However, this is only exemplary, and the limiting arm 141 can also be in any other suitable shape, such as a crescent shape, a semicircular shape, etc.

[0064] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the limiting assembly 140 may further include an elastic component 143, one end of the elastic component 143 is connected to the mounting plate 110, and the other end of the elastic component 143 is connected to the limiting arm 141, for applying a force to the roller 142 that cooperates with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 120 or the parking platform 130.

[0065] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 Although the elastic component 143 is shown as a spring, this is only exemplary, and the elastic component 143 may also be made of, for example, elastic rubber products.

[0066] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a mounting plate 110 and an elastic arm according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mounting plate 110 may include at least one mounting plate bolt mounting hole 111, such as the mounting plate bolt mounting hole 111a and the mounting plate bolt mounting hole 111b, for mounting a bolt to fix one end of the elastic component 143. The limiting arm 141 may include at least one limiting arm bolt mounting hole 1411, such as the limiting arm bolt mounting hole 1411a and the limiting arm bolt mounting hole 1411b, for mounting a bolt to fix the other end of the elastic component 143.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mounting plate 110 includes two (for example, a mounting plate bolt mounting hole 111a and a mounting plate bolt mounting hole 111b) and more than two mounting plate bolt mounting holes 111, so that the mounting position of the elastic component 143 can be adjusted in a simple and convenient manner to adjust the force applied by the elastic component 143 to the roller 142 to cooperate with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 120 or the parking platform 130, thereby reducing the rotation amplitude of the parking platform 130 and improving the stability of sample transfer.

[0069] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 Although the mounting plate 110 is shown to include two mounting plate bolt mounting holes 111a and 111b, this is only exemplary, and the mounting plate 110 may also include other numbers of mounting plate bolt mounting holes 111, such as 1 or 3 or more. Similarly, the limiting arm 141 may also include other numbers of limiting arm bolt mounting holes 1411, such as 1 or 3 or more.

[0070] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a rotating shaft 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0071] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 120 includes a plurality of circumferential grooves 121, and the limiting assembly 140 cooperates with the plurality of circumferential grooves 121 on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 120 to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft 120. By limiting the position by the cooperation between the limiting assembly 140 and the plurality of circumferential grooves 121, there is no need to limit the rotation direction of the sample stage, and the sample stage can be limited in clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, realizing rotation self-locking, and the operation process is flexible and convenient.

[0072] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rotating shaft 120 may include a connecting portion 122 and a protruding portion 123 , and a plurality of circumferential grooves 121 are disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the protruding portion 123 .

[0073] In some embodiments, the plurality of circumferential grooves 121 may include twelve circumferential grooves 121. In this way, twelve sample delivery directions can be achieved. However, this is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the plurality of circumferential grooves 121 may also include other numbers of circumferential grooves 121. In some embodiments, the twelve circumferential grooves 121 may be evenly arranged.

[0074] In some implementations, the outer surface of the roller 142 cooperates with the outer circumferential surface of the circumferential groove 121 of the rotating shaft 120 or the parking platform 130 to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft 120 .

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of circumferential grooves 121 may also be provided on the parking platform 130 (not shown in the drawings). The outer circumferential surface of the parking platform 130 may include a plurality of circumferential grooves 121, and the limiting assembly 140 cooperates with the plurality of circumferential grooves 121 on the outer circumferential surface of the parking platform 130 to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft 120.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the parking platform 130 may include a sample platform and a limiting portion (for example, the protrusion 123 may be a part of the parking platform 130 as a limiting portion), the limiting portion is arranged below the sample platform, and a plurality of circumferential grooves 121 are arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the limiting portion.

[0077] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a sample parking assembly 100 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0078] like Figure 2 and Figure 5As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample parking assembly 100 may further include at least one toggle post 150, and the at least one toggle post 150 is disposed on the parking platform 130 to adjust the sample transfer direction of the parking platform 130. By toggling the toggle post 150 to adjust the sample transfer direction of the parking platform 130, it is possible to avoid touching the sample during the adjustment process, etc., which may affect the sample quality.

[0079] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, a toggle post 150 may be provided on both sides of each station 131 of the parking platform 130. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that this is merely exemplary. The at least one toggle post 150 may also be one, two, three or more.

[0080] like Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the parking platform 130 may also include a fixed end 133 and a spring piece 134 arranged in pairs. The fixed end 133 includes an edge recess. The spring piece 134 is at least partially located above the edge recess of the fixed end 133, and forms a slot with the edge recess of the fixed end 133. Two adjacent slots cooperate to form a sample holder (e.g., sample holder 132a, sample holder 132b, sample holder 132c) fixing structure. When in use, a suitable sample holder can be selected as needed, including a standard sample holder (e.g., sample holder 132a, sample holder 132b) and a special-shaped sample holder (e.g., sample holder 132c).

[0081] Figure 6 A partial structural schematic diagram of a vacuum sample transfer system 1000 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0082] like Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vacuum sample transfer system 1000 may include a vacuum chamber 200 and a sample parking assembly 100 according to any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The sample parking assembly 100 is disposed in the vacuum chamber 200. Those skilled in the art may understand that for the sake of clarity, Figure 6 Only a portion of the vacuum chamber 200 is shown.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the parking platform 130 can rotate so as to adapt to any sample transfer direction, thereby increasing the diversity of subsystem interconnections of the vacuum sample transfer system 1000 and providing convenient conditions for the expansion of the vacuum sample transfer system 1000.

[0084] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a vacuum sample transfer system 1000 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0085] like Figure 7As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vacuum sample transfer system 1000 may further include a robot arm 300. The distal end of the robot arm 300 is fixedly connected to the proximal end of the mounting plate 110, and the robot arm 300 drives the sample parking assembly 100 to transfer samples in the vacuum chamber 200.

[0086] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments, the mounting plate 110 may further include a fixing seat 112 disposed at the proximal end of the mounting plate 110 , and the distal end of the robotic arm 300 is fixedly connected to the fixing seat 112 of the mounting plate 110 .

[0087] like Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vacuum sample transfer system 1000 may further include a robot 400 , which is at least partially disposed in the vacuum chamber 200 and is used to adjust the sample transfer direction of the parking platform 130 .

[0088] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the robotic arm 300 may include a radial sample transfer robotic arm 300, which drives the sample parking platform 130 into a subsystem cavity interconnected therewith, and the robotic arm 400 on the subsystem cavity moves the moving column 150 to adjust the sample transfer direction adapted thereto, so as to clamp or park the sample.

[0089] It should be pointed out that the above are only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A sample parking assembly, characterized in that: include: Mounting plate; A rotating shaft, rotatably connected to the mounting plate; as well as A parking platform is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. The parking platform includes a plurality of workstations for parking samples. The parking platform is rotatably connected to the mounting plate via the rotating shaft.

2. The sample parking assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a limiting component, which cooperates with the rotating shaft or the parking platform and is used to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

3. The sample parking assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The limiting component comprises: a limiting arm, one end of which is rotatably connected to the mounting plate; and The roller is rotatably connected to the other end of the limiting arm, and the outer surface of the roller cooperates with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft or the parking platform to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

4. The sample parking assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The limiting assembly also includes an elastic component, one end of which is connected to the mounting plate, and the other end of which is connected to the limiting arm, for applying a force to the roller that cooperates with the outer circumference of the rotating shaft or the parking platform.

5. The sample parking assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mounting plate includes at least one mounting plate bolt mounting hole for mounting a bolt to fix one end of the elastic component. The limiting arm includes at least one limiting arm bolt mounting hole for mounting a bolt to fix the other end of the elastic component.

6. The sample parking assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft or the parking platform includes a plurality of circumferential grooves, and the limiting assembly cooperates with the plurality of circumferential grooves on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft or the parking platform to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

7. The sample parking assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The rotating shaft comprises a connecting portion and a protruding portion, and the plurality of circumferential grooves are arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the protruding portion; or The parking platform includes a sample platform and a limiting portion, wherein the limiting portion is arranged below the sample platform, and the plurality of circumferential grooves are arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the limiting portion.

8. The sample parking assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: It also includes at least one toggle post, which is arranged on the parking platform and is used to adjust the sample transfer direction of the parking platform.

9. A vacuum sample transfer system, characterized in that: include: Vacuum chamber; as well as The sample parking assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is arranged in the vacuum chamber.

10. The vacuum sample transfer system according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: A mechanical arm, the distal end of which is fixedly connected to the proximal end of the mounting plate, and the sample parking assembly is driven by the mechanical arm to transfer the sample in the vacuum chamber; and / or A robot arm, wherein the robot arm is at least partially disposed in the vacuum chamber and is used for adjusting the sample transfer direction of the parking platform.

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