Laboratory storage cabinet with a rotary element in a transfer air lock

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laboratory storage cabinet (10), comprising a cabinet housing (12), which delimits a storage space (14) inside the cabinet housing (12) from an outer surrounding area (U) of the storage cabinet (12), wherein the cabinet housing (12) comprises an air lock (20), which allows the transport of material between an inner transfer position, situated in the storage space (14), and an outer transfer position, situated in the outer surrounding area (U), wherein the storage space (14) contains a storage device (28) for receiving material at defined storage positions, and wherein the storage space (14) contains a material-handling device (26) for transporting material between the inner transfer position and the storage device (26), wherein, in a wall (12a) of the cabinet housing (12), the air lock (20) has an air-lock opening (24), which passes through the wall (12a). According to the invention, it is provided that the air lock (20) comprises a rotary element (22), which is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation (R) in relation to the cabinet housing (12) and has at least one loading formation (44), which is fitted in the air-lock opening (24) in such a way that the loading formation (44) can be moved between the inner transfer position and the outer transfer position by rotation of the rotary element (22) about the axis of rotation (R).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a laboratory storage cabinet comprising a cabinet housing which separates a storage space inside the cabinet housing from an external environment of the storage cabinet, wherein the cabinet housing comprises a transfer lock, hereinafter referred to simply as "lock", which enables material transport between an inner transfer position located in the storage space and an outer transfer position located in the external environment, wherein a storage device for receiving material at defined storage positions is provided in the storage space, and wherein a handling device for material transport between the inner transfer position and the storage device is provided in the storage space, wherein the lock has a lock opening in a wall of the cabinet housing which penetrates the wall.

[0002] Such a laboratory storage cabinet, which will hereinafter be referred to simply as "storage cabinet", is known from DE 296 13 557 U1. Another relevant storage cabinet is known from US 2016 / 0084564 A1. For further prior art concerning a laboratory storage cabinet, reference is made to WO 2012 / 034037 A2 and DE 10 2016 124 722 A1.

[0003] US patent 6467285 B2 discloses an air-conditioned laboratory storage cabinet with an airlock having a single airlock door which can be rotated between the inside and the outside.

[0004] Such laboratory storage cabinets are typically used – both in the prior art and in the present invention – for storing chemical and / or biological and / or biochemical substances under predetermined storage conditions. The substances to be stored are generally contained in a container, so that the "material" generally referred to in the present application typically designates one or more containers containing a substance.

[0005] The predetermined storage conditions can refer to a specific atmosphere within the storage space, defined by temperature, humidity, pressure, chemical composition, and / or other parameters. Therefore, the separation of the storage space from the external environment of the storage cabinet by the cabinet housing is crucial. This is because the external environment typically has an atmosphere that differs from the predetermined storage conditions within the storage space with respect to at least one parameter.

[0006] In order to introduce material into the storage cabinet for storage without excessive disturbance of the storage environment in the storage space, which differs from the external environment, and to remove it from the storage cabinet for further laboratory processing, the known storage cabinets include airlocks through which material can be introduced from the external environment through the cabinet housing into the storage space and likewise transferred from the storage space through the cabinet housing into the external environment.

[0007] The airlocks of the aforementioned known laboratory storage cabinets comprise, as a transport medium for transporting material between the inner transfer position located in the storage space and usually only accessible from the storage space, and the outer transfer position located in the external environment and usually only accessible from the external environment, a translationally movable carriage which can be moved back and forth through the airlock opening between the outer transfer position in the external environment and the inner transfer position in the storage space.

[0008] Inside the storage cabinet, i.e., in the storage space, the handling device automatically takes over the further material transport between the inner transfer position and a storage position in the storage device, so that material introduced into the storage space can be stored in a findable manner.

[0009] The advantage of a translationally movable carriage in the transfer chamber of the storage cabinet lies in the fact that a relatively small transition volume, clearly defined both from the storage space and the external environment, can be provided for this carriage. The carriage can initially be moved into this transition volume from its starting transfer position. After the atmospheric conditions in the transition volume have equalized with those of the target transfer position, the carriage can then be moved from the transition volume to the target transfer position without significantly disturbing the atmospheric conditions there.While maintaining atmospheric conditions at the outer transfer position is generally uncritical, since the external environment can be approximated as infinitely large compared to the storage space, the influence of material transport from the outside into the storage space on the atmospheric conditions in the storage space is considerably greater.

[0010] A disadvantage of the known translationally movable slides of transfer locks is their low material throughput per unit of time. Attempts are made to compensate for this disadvantage by using a correspondingly large number of locks in parallel or by using a structurally relatively large lock that can transport a particularly large amount of material in a single transfer.

[0011] However, both the use of multiple parallel airlocks and the use of a single, large airlock require a corresponding amount of installation space on the laboratory storage cabinet. Especially with smaller storage cabinets the size of a household refrigerator, or even a large one, the installation space required for multiple airlocks or a single large airlock is not available to achieve a material transfer between the inner and outer transfer positions with the highest possible material throughput per unit of time in the known manner.

[0012] It is therefore an object of the present invention to further develop a laboratory storage cabinet mentioned at the outset in such a way that it can be operated with high material throughput even with limited available installation space and without excessive impairment of the storage conditions in the storage space.

[0013] The present invention solves this problem in a laboratory storage cabinet mentioned at the beginning of the present application by providing the airlock with a rotating body and at least one loading configuration, which is mounted to rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the cabinet housing. The rotating body is inserted into the airlock opening in such a way that the loading configuration can be moved between the inner and outer transfer positions by rotating the rotating body about the axis of rotation.

[0014] The fundamental use of a rotating body enables the rapid transport of material, particularly containers, between the inner and outer transfer positions in a very small installation space. Since the loading configuration of the rotating body is moved between the inner and outer transfer positions by rotation around the body's axis of rotation, the installation space occupied by the rotating body, as the transport medium in the narrower sense, essentially corresponds to its movement space. Thus, the rotating body can not only prepare a loading configuration for reception in the inner and / or outer transfer position, but can also close the airlock opening with a section of its body during preparation. Therefore, the rotating body can serve not only as a transport medium for stored or to-be-stored material, but also as a closure device for the airlock opening.This also significantly simplifies the operation of the transfer lock, since one and the same component, namely the rotating body, can both transport material between the inner and outer transfer positions and close the lock opening. Such a closure involves a complete or near-complete closure of the lock opening. The lock can therefore be free of pivoting and / or sliding closure devices such as doors, flaps, and bulkheads.

[0015] For clarification, it should be noted that the aforementioned transfer positions – inner and outer transfer positions – are merely locations of temporary material intake during material transport from the external environment into the storage device, while the storage positions in the storage device are locations of permanent material intake where the material remains until it is retrieved from storage, or at least remains considerably longer than at the transfer positions, where the material is merely made available for transport between the transfer positions and / or for handling by a person or handling device in the external environment or by the handling device in the storage space.

[0016] In principle, the rotating body can only have a single loading configuration, which, when transport is required, is moved to the respective transfer position for material pickup by the handling device in the storage space or by an operator or handling device in the external environment. However, the maximum material throughput achievable with the storage cabinet discussed here can be easily increased by having the rotating body have at least two loading configurations. A first loading configuration is then in one transfer position consisting of the outer and inner transfer positions when a second loading configuration, different from the first, is in the other transfer position consisting of the outer and inner transfer positions.Thus, even when material is being removed from or loaded onto the first loading unit in one transfer position, the second loading unit is ready in the other transfer position to also receive or release material. Furthermore, from a purely functional perspective, the movement of a loading unit from one transfer position to another and vice versa requires only half the distance compared to the case where only a single loading unit is provided on the rotating body. This results in advantageously short loading cycles of 5 to 7 seconds; that is, an item or material can be inserted into the storage unit (stored) and removed from it (removed) every 5 to 7 seconds, since a loading unit is simultaneously available at both the inner and outer transfer positions.This allows, unlike the known translationally movable transfer carriages, a parallelization of storage and retrieval processes.

[0017] In principle, more than two loading formations can be formed on the rotating body. To ensure that the rotating body can close the lock opening with a body section when there is a loading formation in each transfer position, the rotating body preferably has exactly two circumferential sectors, each with at least one loading formation, which are arranged rotated 180° relative to each other with respect to the axis of rotation. Preferably, the inner and outer transfer positions are separated by an angular distance of 180° around the axis of rotation.

[0018] To facilitate handling of the transfer gate, the rotating body is preferably symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation such that a large part of its shape, as perceived from outside the rotating body, remains unchanged after a 180° rotation around the axis of rotation. This means that if the rotating body rotates 180° from an arrangement of loading elements in a transfer position, a loading element will again be in the same transfer position, and the rotating body will present essentially the same appearance to an observer looking at the transfer position as it did before the 180° rotation. Preferably, this type of symmetry around the axis of rotation applies to every rotational position of the rotating body and to any 180° rotation performed from that position.

[0019] To ensure that the lock opening can be closed in at least one rotational position, the first loading formation is preferably physically separated from the second loading formation by a partition wall of the rotating body. The partition wall is part of the rotating body and also rotates around the axis of rotation during its rotational movement.

[0020] Preferably, body sections of the rotating body are hollow or porous, which laterally and / or upwardly and / or downwardly define the receiving space at a loading formation in order to reduce the moment of inertia of the rotating body. A porous material for forming porous body sections of the rotating body can be a porous fiber material and / or an open-cell or closed-cell foam.

[0021] In order not only to physically close the airlock opening with the rotating body and thus prevent unwanted gas flow between the storage space and the outside environment, but also to achieve thermal insulation of the storage space from the outside environment in the airlock area, a preferred embodiment of the storage cabinet allows for the arrangement of a partition wall material, separate from the rest of the rotating body, with a lower specific thermal conductivity and / or a lower thermal transmittance than the material predominantly used to form the rest of the rotating body. This thermally insulating partition wall material can be integrally installed as a material section within the rotating body or as a prefabricated plate or, more generally, as a component unit attached to the rotating body.The term "predominant" refers to the volume of space occupied by body sections of the solid of revolution made from the respective material. The material from which body sections of the solid of revolution are formed that occupy more than 50% of the total volume of the solid of revolution is necessarily the material predominantly used to form the rest of the solid of revolution. If different body sections of the solid of revolution consist of different materials, and no body section of any one material occupies more than 50% of the total volume of the solid of revolution, then the material of the body section with the largest share of the total volume of the solid of revolution is considered to be predominantly used to form the rest of the solid of revolution. Since the rest of the solid of revolution is used for comparison with the partition, the partition is not part of the rest of the solid of revolution.

[0022] In principle, it may suffice if, in the aforementioned closure situation, the rotating body with a narrow gap rests against an edge of the cabinet housing wall traversed by the lock opening. The rotating body can be designed such that a large part of its outer surface—for example, its end faces oriented along the axis of rotation and at least one circumferentially extending section of a lateral surface, the latter optionally interrupted by at least one recess in which a loading element is arranged and a cavity for receiving material to be transported is formed on the loading element—is arranged with a predetermined gap dimension to the edge of the lock opening, in particular a constant gap dimension along the edge of the lock opening.While the outer surface is interrupted by one or more recesses according to a preferred embodiment - usually depending on the number of loading formations, with a separate recess preferably being provided for each loading formation - the end faces of the rotating body can be positioned opposite the edge of the lock opening in the cabinet housing wall with predetermined gap dimensions, in particular a constant gap dimension along the edge of the lock opening, regardless of the rotational position of the rotating body.

[0023] In a standby state of the rotating body, in which the rotating body is stationary and at least one loading formation is in a transfer position, a body section of the rotating body can be positioned around the edge of the lock opening with a predetermined, in particular constant, small gap of less than four, preferably less than 2 mm distance to the edge, thus creating a closure situation as described above.

[0024] Such a small gap of less than four mm, preferably less than 2 mm, is realistically only suitable for storage spaces whose atmospheric conditions do not differ significantly from those of the external environment. A better separation between the storage space and the external environment than that provided by the gap described above, and thus a lesser influence of the external environment on the conditioned atmosphere in the storage space, can be achieved by having at least one component, consisting of a rotating body and a cabinet housing wall with an airlock opening, have a seal with a sealing surface designed to form a tight seal against the other component.

[0025] Preferably, the seal is arranged on the cabinet housing or on a frame surrounding the airlock opening, since the airlock opening is to be sealed by the seal. It can be assumed that during rotation of the rotating body, the sealing surface is in contact with the other component, preferably the rotating body, in a rubbing motion. However, such rubbing contact can mechanically stress the sealing surface and lead to undesirably high wear and consequently to an undesirably short service life of the sealing surface. To avoid this sealing surface wear, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the laboratory storage cabinet has a sealing surface clamping device by which the sealing surface of a seal of at least one component can be clamped towards the other component and released in the opposite direction.

[0026] This tension towards the other component can simply mean an increase or decrease in the contact force of the sealing surface against the other component, without actually lifting the sealing surface, which is permanently in contact with the other component anyway. This also serves to reduce wear. Further wear prevention can be achieved by allowing the sealing surface to be moved towards and away from the other component by means of the sealing surface clamping device. This ensures that the seal and its sealing surface are positioned at a distance from the other component, preferably from the rotating body, in the relaxed state, so that the sealing surface does not touch the other component in the relaxed state. Movement of the other component relative to the sealing surface can then have no abrasive effect on the sealing surface.

[0027] In principle, a sealing surface clamping device could be provided both on the rotating body and in the edge area of ​​the lock opening, i.e., on a section of the cabinet housing wall surrounding the lock opening or on a frame surrounding the lock opening. This device would clamp and / or move a sealing surface towards and away from the other component, so that in a closed situation with a gap-free, physically sealed lock opening, the sealing surfaces of a seal on the cabinet housing or frame side and a seal on the rotating body would be in contact with each other. However, this requires very precise positioning of the rotating body relative to the cabinet wall to ensure reliable contact between the two sealing surfaces, which are movable relative to each other.A more robust and simultaneously highly effective gap-free seal of the lock opening in the closed position can be achieved by clamping only the sealing surface of one component—preferably the cabinet wall or a frame surrounding the lock opening—towards the other component using a sealing surface clamping device, and releasing it in the opposite direction. In the simplest case, a section of the other component can serve as the contact surface for the sealing surface of the seal that is subjected to the clamping device. In a preferred embodiment, due to its higher sealing effect, the other component can have a seal with a counter-surface against which the sealing surface of the first component engages in a sealing engagement during the closed position.The sealing effect for a gap-free seal of the lock opening can be further enhanced by making the sealing surface of the other component, which has the counter-surface, deformable by the sealing surface of the clamping and releasing seal of the first component during engagement. In this way, when the supporting seal is clamped, the sealing surface can press into the counter-surface of the opposing seal, thus creating not only a relatively large contact area between the sealing surface and the counter-surface, but also a curved, planar contact area that effectively separates the external environment from the storage space.

[0028] Preferably, the body of revolution has a seal deformable by the sealing surface and a sealing counter-surface. Since the sealing counter-surface is preferably located in a region of the body of revolution which, in the aforementioned ready state of the body of revolution, is opposite an edge of the lock opening and is accessible for a seal deformable by the sealing surface clamping device provided in the edge region of the lock opening, at least one section of the seal deformable by the sealing surface clamping device preferably surrounds the aforementioned partition wall and / or the thermally insulating partition wall material radially outwards.

[0029] The deformable seal in the rotating body can also serve as a tolerance compensation device, for example, if the rotating body is formed from at least two halves whose dividing or joining plane contains the axis of rotation of the rotating body. In this case, the deformable seal can advantageously be arranged between the two halves and, due to its intrinsic deformability, allow the two halves to approach each other by deforming the seal between them. In this way, a gap between the halves of the rotating body can be closed, and at the same time, the gap dimension between the halves can be precisely adjusted.

[0030] Preferably, the axis of rotation penetrates the aforementioned, preferably thermally insulating, partition. Particularly preferably, the partition includes a diametrical plane that penetrates the rotating body along a diametrical beam orthogonal to the axis of rotation. Additionally or alternatively, a plane containing the axis of rotation of the rotating body intersects the seal within the rotating body that is deformable by the sealing surface. The seal within the rotating body can then enclose the partition and / or the thermally insulating partition material, at least partially, for example, with the exception of the location of the rotating bearing of the rotating body.

[0031] The sealing surface clamping device can be designed in various ways. According to a first embodiment, the sealing surface clamping device can be designed to introduce gas into the sealing interior of a hollow sealing component. For example, the hollow sealing component can be a hose seal which is inflated by the sealing surface clamping device by means of pressure-increasing gas injection against its material and / or component elasticity, and thus expanded, and then shrunk again by means of pressure-reducing gas discharge due to its own elasticity. This allows a sealing surface in a surface area of ​​the hose seal to be brought close to, pressed against, and then removed from a corresponding contact surface on the other component.

[0032] Additionally or alternatively, the sealing surface clamping device can include a crimping device which, by crimping a sealing component in a crimping direction and utilizing a transverse expansion of the sealing component, causes expansion of the material in an expansion direction different from the crimping direction, preferably orthogonal. Therefore, the sealing surface clamping device can be designed as a crimping device to deform the seal in a first direction, namely the crimping direction, in order to displace the sealing surface in a second direction different from the first, namely the expansion direction. Preferably, the crimpable seal extends around at least 80%, preferably around 100% of the lock opening.The compression direction preferably runs axially with respect to a virtual opening axis that centrally penetrates the lock opening, so that a sealing surface pointing radially inward toward the lock opening is displaced radially inward along a direction of expansion that runs radially to the virtual opening axis. The elasticity of the seal causes it to return to its original shape after the compression load has ceased. The compressible seal can also be a hose seal, which, unlike the fluidically expandable hose seal, does not need to be fluid-tight.

[0033] The sealing surface clamping device can be effectively and easily implemented by having a cabinet frame that surrounds the airlock opening and the rotating body. This frame, acting as a clamping device, comprises two frame components that define a gap between them, in which the seal is held. The sealing surface of the seal faces radially inwards towards the center of the airlock opening or towards the rotating body. The frame components can be brought close to and removed from each other to deform the seal located between them. Preferably, each frame component surrounds the airlock opening on its own, so that a seal that advantageously encircles the entire airlock opening can also be clamped along its entire circumference.To apply a defined crushing load, a crushing drive is preferably provided, by which at least one frame component can be brought closer to the other frame component, reducing the gap between the frame components. In principle, both frame components can be arranged to be movable relative to each other on the cabinet housing. However, it is preferable to manufacture one frame component for permanent fixing to the cabinet housing, or to have it permanently fixed to the cabinet housing, so that only the other frame component can be moved relative to the frame component fixed to the housing by the crushing drive.

[0034] The compression drive can be a fluid-operated drive or an electric motor drive. According to a preferred embodiment, due to its low tendency to tilt, a frame component is connected to the other frame component via at least two, preferably more than two, and particularly preferably four, spindle drives along the spindle axes, allowing for displacement relative to the other frame component. The at least two spindle drives can be driven synchronously with the rotation by one and the same compression drive via a cable or belt drive, thus ensuring secure, tilt-free relative movement of one frame component relative to the other. If the frame components have corner regions, for example, at the point where two pairs of parallel side edges meet, a spindle drive is preferably arranged in each corner region where two non-parallel side edges meet.The frame component, which is designed as a housing-mounted frame component, can be formed by a wall of the cabinet housing.

[0035] In principle, it can be envisioned that the rotating body for transferring at least one loading configuration between the inner and outer transfer positions can be moved manually, for example by an actuating element such as a drive lever or a drive wheel, and a drive linkage and / or drive gear. For the most hygienic, and preferably automated, process of storing material in the storage cabinet and / or removing material from the storage cabinet, the storage cabinet preferably has a rotary drive for rotating the rotating body. Preferably, the rotary drive is an electric motor drive, so that its rotation can be transmitted as directly as possible to the aforementioned spindle drives via the aforementioned rope or belt drive.

[0036] For further automation of the processes at the laboratory storage cabinet, the cabinet can have a control device designed at least for controlling the rotary drive and the sealing surface clamping device. To prevent wear on the at least one seal involved in sealing the airlock opening when the rotating body is stationary, the control device is preferably designed to release a clamped sealing surface before operation of the rotary drive and / or to clamp a released sealing surface after operation of the rotary drive. This ensures that rotation of the rotating body occurs without a sliding contact of a sealing surface against it. Likewise, this ensures that when the rotating body is stationary, for example in the aforementioned standby state, a gap remains between the cabinet housing and the...The frame and rotating body are closed by the seal, which can be clamped and released by means of the sealing surface clamping device.

[0037] Furthermore, the laboratory storage cabinet can include at least one transfer sensor, which is designed to detect a change in the loading situation of the loading formation in the outer transfer position. The transfer sensor, for example an optical sensor such as a light barrier or a capacitive or inductive proximity sensor, is preferably coupled to the aforementioned control device via signal transmission, so that the control device can initiate a material transfer from the outer to the inner transfer position without additional operator input when the transfer sensor has detected a change in the loading situation of the loading formation in the outer transfer position.Additionally, or preferably alternatively, the storage cabinet can include at least one intervention sensor, for example, an optical sensor such as a light barrier or a capacitive or inductive proximity sensor, which is designed to detect an object that protrudes from outside the rotating body into its space of movement, exemplified by its envelope. This is intended to prevent an object protruding through the envelope, or even a body part of an operator, from being damaged or injured by the rotation of the rotating body. The envelope is understood to be a virtual boundary surface of the rotating body that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation.

[0038] To facilitate the manufacture of the laboratory storage cabinet, the cabinet can have a pre-assembled airlock assembly, comprising at least the rotating body and the frame surrounding the rotating body and the airlock opening. This allows a laboratory storage cabinet, which initially has only one door that must be opened by an operator to deposit or remove material from the storage device, to be retrofitted with the airlock assembly.

[0039] Further simplification of assembly, and in particular the retrofitting of an existing storage cabinet, results from the fact that the pre-assembled module includes the crush drive and / or the rotary drive. Furthermore, the module can include the control device, which is designed to control the crush drive and / or the rotary drive.

[0040] The pre-assembled lock assembly is so advantageous that the present invention also relates to a lock assembly comprising at least one frame surrounding a lock opening and a rotating body inserted into the lock opening and rotatably mounted on the frame about an axis of rotation such that the frame surrounds the rotating body. The frame preferably comprises two frame components, in a particularly preferred configuration of a compression device, as a sealing surface clamping device. These components define a gap between them in which a seal is received, the sealing surface of which can be displaced by compression in the compression direction along the gap spacing in an expansion direction orthogonal to the gap spacing. The frame components can be brought close to and removed from one another to compress the seal located between them.Preferably, each frame component surrounds the lock opening on its own, so that an advantageously fully circumferential seal can also be compressed along its entire circumference. For the defined application of a compression load, a compression drive is preferably also provided on the frame.

[0041] The above-described further developments of the rotating body and / or the edge area of ​​the storage cabinet surrounding the lock opening are also further developments of the pre-assembled lock assembly including the frame.

[0042] According to a less preferred embodiment, the lock assembly, preferably on the frame, can have, instead of a squeezing device, a seal which can be expanded with a fluid against its material and component elasticity, with a corresponding fluid delivery pump as a sealing surface clamping device.

[0043] The aforementioned material to be transported can be pourable chemical, biological, or biochemical substances, such as liquids, including cell suspensions, or powders. Such substances are provided in laboratory containers, such as microtiter plates or vials. The storage device can be a rack system where laboratory containers, optionally grouped into units containing multiple laboratory containers, can be arranged and stored in rows and columns, side by side, one above the other, or one above the other, in a space-saving manner. The laboratory storage cabinet preferably includes an air conditioning device to provide a gas atmosphere in the storage space, at least with regard to temperature, pressure, humidity, and / or gas composition. Preferably, the storage cabinet is operated with a temperature in the storage space between +20 °C and -20 °C.

[0044] A laboratory storage cabinet according to the present invention can also include a pipetting robot as a handling device or a part thereof, which operates in a storage room atmosphere that differs from the atmosphere of the outside environment in at least one parameter. Storage positions can then, in turn, be defined by a shelving system or by defined storage positions for the laboratory vessels in the working area of ​​the pipetting robot.

[0045] In principle, the handling device must be designed for operation under the atmospheric conditions in the storage space, meaning it must be able to operate precisely even in a temperature range of the storage space that differs significantly from the temperatures of the outside environment.

[0046] In its simplest form, a loading formation can be a defined storage area arranged or formed on the rotating body. It can also include a holder for containers, such as a clamp. To ensure the targeted orientation of material placed on a loading formation, the loading formation can incorporate interlocking elements that allow an object to be loaded onto the formation only in a predetermined, defined orientation. This significantly facilitates the automated handling of the material within the storage space.

[0047] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It illustrates: Fig. 1 a front view of a laboratory storage cabinet according to the invention, Fig. 2 a side view of the laboratory storage cabinet of Figure 1 , Fig. 3 a perspective view of a lock assembly of the storage cabinet of Fig. 1 , comprising a frame surrounding a lock opening with two frame components and a seal arranged between them, a rotating body rotatably inserted into the lock opening about an axis of rotation, a rotary drive of the rotating body and a crushing drive of the frame component, Fig. 4 a perspective view of the lock assembly cut along a section plane containing the axis of rotation of the rotating body and passing through both loading formations Figure 3 , Fig. 5 the longitudinally sectioned lock assembly of Figure 4 when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the cutting plane, and Fig. 6 a perspective view of the lock assembly of the Figures 3 to 5 , cut along a cutting plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the body of revolution.

[0048] In the Figure 1 and 2An embodiment of a laboratory storage cabinet according to the invention is generally designated by 10. Figure 1 Figure 10 shows a front view of storage cabinet 10, which has approximately the dimensions of a large household refrigerator. For illustrative purposes only, the storage cabinet could be approximately 90 cm to 100 cm wide and 220 cm to 240 cm high. However, the dimensions of the storage cabinet are not relevant in this case.

[0049] In Figure 1 is the direction of view of Figure 2 marked with an arrow II. In Figure 2 is the direction of view of Figure 1 marked with an arrow I.

[0050] The storage cabinet 10 has a cabinet housing 12, which contains a storage space 14 (see Figures 3 to 6) inside the cabinet housing 12 is separated from the external environment U, so that an air conditioning device 16 in the lower end region of the storage cabinet 10 can maintain atmospheric conditions in the storage space 14 that differ from the conditions of the external environment. For example, the atmosphere in the storage space 14 can differ from the atmosphere of the external environment U with respect to temperature and / or pressure and / or humidity and / or chemical composition.

[0051] The storage cabinet 10 has a display device 18, which, as a touch-sensitive screen, also serves as an input device. This device allows, for example, the adjustment of atmospheric conditions in storage space 14. Furthermore, the input device can be used to retrieve an item stored in storage space 14 for output, or to assign a defined storage position to an item to be placed in storage space 14.

[0052] Without excessive disturbance of the storage conditions artificially maintained in the storage space 14 by the air conditioning device 16, an object can overcome the cabinet housing 12 - in the illustrated example its front wall 12a - through a transfer lock 20.

[0053] The transfer lock 20 comprises a rotating body 22, which is rotatable about a rotation axis R running along the direction of gravity in the illustrated example and is inserted into a lock opening 24 penetrating the cabinet housing 12, in particular its front wall 12a.

[0054] In storage space 14, a handling device 26, for example a multi-axis gripper, cooperates with the rotating body 22 to take objects from it or transfer them to it. The handling device 26 further cooperates with a storage device 28, which has a plurality of storage positions accessible to the handling device 26, so that objects can be transported between the rotating body 22 and individual storage positions of the storage device 28 by the handling device 26. The storage device 28 can, in principle, be movable relative to the storage housing 12, for example as a storage carousel. A denser packing of storage positions than with a storage carousel can be achieved by a fixed arrangement of storage positions.In the present example, in which the airlock 20 is arranged on the front wall 12a of the cabinet housing 12, the handling device 26 has sufficient freedom of movement to reach a plurality of storage positions from the inner transfer position on the airlock 20, when these are arranged on the inside of the rear wall of the cabinet housing 12 opposite the front wall 12a. In the . Figures 2 and 3The handling device 26 and the storage device 28 are only roughly schematically indicated by dashed rectangles. The handling of objects, such as laboratory containers, in storage compartments of laboratory storage cabinets is known per se. Individual objects to be stored and / or containers of objects advantageously have an identification feature, such as an RFID chip or an optical code, like a QR code or barcode. Likewise, individual storage positions can have individual identification, also implemented by RFID chips or optical codes. The handling device or the storage cabinet in general then preferably includes a reader that reads the identification of the object and, if applicable, the associated storage position and transmits this information to a data storage device.

[0055] In the example shown, the storage cabinet 10 has rollers 30 at its lower end, which make the storage cabinet 10 passively mobile to a certain extent, i.e., it can be moved by one or more operators in a laboratory room without lifting the storage cabinet 10.

[0056] For maintenance, cleaning, and emergency operation, storage compartment 14 of storage cabinet 10 is accessible through a side door 32. The door 32 is pivotally mounted on one side of storage cabinet 10 and, when opened, provides ample access to storage compartment 14.

[0057] In Figure 1 Looking at a front panel 34 of the storage cabinet 10, which can be folded away from the housing wall 12 behind it by means of a hinge 36 about a flap axis K parallel to the axis of rotation R in the example shown, in order to be able to service the transfer lock 20, for example.

[0058] In Figure 3 A lock assembly 38 of the transfer lock 20 is shown in isolation, i.e. without cabinet housing 12 and without front panel 34.

[0059] The lock assembly 38 comprises the roughly cylindrical rotating body 22 and a frame 40 surrounding the rotating body 22. The frame 40, together with the rotating body 22, also surrounds the lock opening 24.

[0060] The body of revolution 22 has a plate 22a at its lower longitudinal end, above which a lid 22c is located, connected by side walls 22b.

[0061] The end face 22c1 of the lid 22c, which points in the direction of the axis of rotation R of the rotating body 22 and is orthogonal to the axis of rotation R, is flat in the example shown. The same applies to the end face 22a of the plate 22a, which points in the opposite direction. The transitions between the plate 22a and the side walls 22b, as well as between the side walls 22b and the lid 22c, are rounded to reduce the risk of injury to operators from the rotating body 22.

[0062] The lateral surfaces 22b1 of the side surfaces 22b are partially cylindrical. Loading elements 44 are arranged in recesses 42 that interrupt the lateral surfaces 22b1 in the circumferential direction; in the illustrated example, these elements form a loading platform. Positive locking elements 46 in the form of defined recesses and further positive locking elements 48 in the form of defined projections ensure that an object, for example, a laboratory container, can only be positioned on the loading element 44 in a predetermined oriented position, since its mating locking elements must engage positively with the positive locking elements 46 and 48 for correct positioning.

[0063] The rotating body 22 is mounted on the frame 40 in an upper rotary bearing 52a and a coaxial lower rotary bearing 52b, allowing it to rotate about the axis of rotation R. The rotating body 22 can be driven to rotate about the axis of rotation R by a rotary drive 50. The rotary drive 50 comprises a drive motor 52 (electric in the illustrated example), the output of which is transmitted via a belt 54 to a drive pulley 56 connected to the rotating body 22 for common rotation. In the illustrated example, the rotary drive 50 is located at the upper part of the frame 40. This arrangement is merely exemplary and could also be located at the lower part of the frame 40. Likewise, in addition to or as an alternative to the belt drive, a gear drive or a linkage can be provided to transmit the torque output by the drive motor 52 to the rotating body 22.

[0064] The frame 40 comprises a first frame component 40a and a second frame component 40b, which define a gap 41 between them. The first frame component 40a is designed as a cabinet-mounted frame component 40a for fixed connection to the cabinet housing 12. The second frame component 40b can be approached and removed from the first frame component 40a along a distance axis A, which runs in the distance direction between the first and second frame components 40a, 40b.

[0065] To effect movement of the second frame component 40b towards and away from the first frame component 40a, a sealing surface clamping device 58 is provided. Since a seal 60 extends at least partially, but around most of the lock opening 24, in the gap 41 between the two frame components 40a and 40b (see Figures 4 to 6) which is located by an approach of the second frame component 40b to the first frame component 40a along the distance axis A and as a result of this compression its section pointing towards the lock opening 24 with the sealing surface 60a is stretched orthogonally to the distance axis A towards the lock opening 24 and consequently displaced, the drive 62 of the sealing surface clamping device 58 is a compression drive 62 mentioned above.

[0066] The squeeze drive 62 comprises a motor, preferably electric, which is directly coupled to a nut 63a of a spindle drive 64a. The nut 63a is rotatably mounted on the second frame component 40b. The spindle surrounded by the nut 63a (not visible) is rigidly connected to the first frame component 40a.

[0067] To prevent the second frame component 40b from tilting during its movement along the distance axis A, the sealing surface clamping device 58 comprises additional spindle drives 64b, whose nuts 63b, also rotatably mounted on the second frame component 40b, are connected via a drive belt 66 to the nut 63a, which is directly coupled to the motor 62, for common rotation in the same direction. In this way, the torque output by the clamping drive 62 is distributed evenly to the four corners of the second frame component 40b, so that the second frame component 40b can be moved towards and away from the first frame component 40a in a substantially parallel orientation. Tension rollers 68, which are also rotatably mounted on the second frame component 40b, maintain the tension of the belt 66.

[0068] A control device 70 is connected to both the drive motor 52 of the rotary drive 50 and the squeeze drive 62 via signal transmission, so that the control device 70 can drive the rotating body 22 to rotate about the axis of rotation R and the second frame component 40b to approach and move away from the first frame component 40a. Preferably, the seal 60 is lifted from the rotating body 22 when it is rotating, and the seal 60 is in contact with the rotating body when it is stationary.

[0069] The recess 42, which can have any shape suitable for the material to be applied to the loading form 44, has a through-opening 72 in one side surface through which an optical transfer sensor 74 shines into an area directly above the loading form 44. The optical transfer sensor 74 is connected to the control device 70 via signal transmission, so that the control device 70 receives and can evaluate the detection signal from the transfer sensor 74.

[0070] The optical transfer sensor 74 serves to detect whether or not an object to be transported from the external environment U into the storage space 14 is located on the loading formation 44. The control device 70 can be configured to initiate a rotational movement of the rotating body 22 based on the signal from the transfer sensor 74.

[0071] The loading formation 44, which is in Figure 3As can be seen, it is located in the outer transfer position and is therefore accessible to operating personnel or a handling device for automated loading.

[0072] The lock assembly 38 further comprises two intervention sensors 76 and 78, which are also optical sensors. The intervention sensors 76 and 78, which are also connected to the control device 70 via signal transmission, generate a light barrier at different heights in front of the recess 42 and are thus able to detect whether an object from the external environment U, such as a section of a handling device loading the loading assembly 44 or an operator's arm or hand, protrudes into the movement space of the rotating body 22, such that damage or injury to the object is imminent if the rotating body 22 moves. The control device 70 is then configured to prevent movement of the rotating body 22 if at least one of the intervention sensors 76 and 78 detects an object protruding into the movement space of the rotating body 22.

[0073] The control device 70 can be coupled to the display and input / output device 18 via signal transmission.

[0074] In the Figures 4 and 5 A longitudinal section through the lock assembly 38 along a section plane is shown, which contains the axis of rotation R and which essentially orthogonally penetrates the opening surface of the lock opening 24.

[0075] In the Figures 4 and 5 Another loading configuration 44-2 is shown, which is diametrically opposed to the previously described loading configuration 44 and is oriented with respect to the plane of the drawing. Figure 5The orthogonal mirror symmetry plane SE, containing the axis of rotation R, is formed and arranged in a mirror image to the loading formation 44 described above. Therefore, the further loading formation 44-2 will not be discussed further below. The explanation given above for loading formation 44 also applies to the further loading formation 44-2 under the aforementioned mirror symmetry condition.

[0076] The further loading element 44-2 is located in a recess 42-2, which is diametrically opposite the previously described recess 42. The recesses 42 and 42-2 are designed with point symmetry such that one recess transitions into the other recess by a 180° rotation about the axis of rotation R.

[0077] The loading formation 44 and its associated recess 42 are located in the Figures 4 and 5on the side of the outer environment U, so that the loading formation 44 is in the outer transfer position. The other loading formation 44-2, on the other hand, is on the side of the storage space 14 and thus in the inner transfer position. The rotating body 22 is in its ready position.

[0078] The two recesses 42 and 42-2 are spatially and physically separated from each other by a partition 22d. In order to maintain an atmosphere in the storage space 14 with temperatures that differ from the outside atmosphere of the external environment U, and are generally lower, with minimal effort, a thermally insulating plate 80 made of suitable thermally insulating material, such as ceramic powder, in particular evacuated ceramic powder, a porous fiber and / or foam structure, and the like, is formed in the partition 22.

[0079] The recesses 42 and 42-2 are each formed by partial bodies 23 of the body of revolution 22, which, due to the point symmetry described above, are preferably identical, so that a single tool shape suffices for their production. In the illustrated example, the plate 22a comprises only one component defining its outer surface. The cover 22c comprises two components 25 defining its outer surface, which are preferably also identical.

[0080] Between components 25, 23 and the plate 22a, cavities are formed either to accommodate functional units, such as the lights 82 for the recesses 42 and 42-2 and their supply lines, or simply to reduce the mass and thus the moment of inertia of the rotating body 22.

[0081] The lighting provided in recesses 42 and 42-2 allows the loading configuration associated with each recess to be illuminated. The lighting may, for example, include LED light sources.

[0082] In the Figures 4 and 5 Furthermore, the otherwise ordinary rotary bearings of the rotating body are recognizable.

[0083] In Figure 6The body of revolution 22 and the frame 40 are shown in section along a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation R. It can be seen that the thermally insulating plate 80, as part of the partition 22d, is enclosed by a seal 84 over a wide area of ​​its circumference. The seal 84 has a sealing surface 84a, which faces the seal 60 opposite it on the frame 40. The seal 60, represented in this example as a hose seal deformable with low force, has a sealing surface 60a on its side facing the seal 84 on the body of revolution. This sealing surface can be displaced along the axis of distance A to the body of revolution 22, and thus to the sealing surface 84a, by compressing the seal 60.The seal 84 is made of a soft elastic material, so that the seal 84 and with it the sealing surface 84a are deformed under the load of the sealing surface 60a pressing on it into a virtual opening axis V, conceived as passing centrally through the lock opening 24 and orthogonal to the axis of rotation R, or the sealing surface 84a is also displaced.

[0084] The virtual opening axis V is parallel to the drawing plane of the Figure 5 .

Claims

1. Laboratory storage cabinet (10), comprising a cabinet housing (12) which demarcates a storage space (14) inside the cabinet housing (12) from an external environment (U) of the storage cabinet (12), where the cabinet housing (12) comprises an air lock (20) which allows material transport between an inner transfer position located in the storage space (14) and an outer transfer position located in the external environment (U), where in the storage space (14) there is present a storage device (28) for accommodating material at defined storage positions and where in the storage space (14) there is present a manipulation device (26) for material transport between the inner transfer position and the storage device (26), where the air lock (20) exhibits an air lock aperture (24) in a wall (12a) of the cabinet housing (12) which penetrates through the wall (12a), Characterized in that the air lock (20) comprises a rotating body (22) mounted rotatably relative to the cabinet housing (12) about an axis of rotation (R), having at least one loading formation (44, 44-2) which is installed in the air lock aperture (24) in such a way that the loading formation (44, 44-2) is displaceable about the axis of rotation (R) between the inner and the outer transfer position through rotation of the rotating body (22).

2. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 1, Characterized in that the rotating body (22) exhibits at least two loading formations (44, 44-2), of which one first loading formation (44) is situated in one transfer position out of the outer and inner transfer positions when a second loading formation (44-2) different from the first one is situated in the respective other transfer position.

3. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 2, Characterized in that the first loading formation (44) is physically separated from the second loading formation (44-2) by a partition (22d) of the rotating body (22).

4. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 3, Characterized in that in the region of the partition (22d) there is arranged a partition material (80) configured separately from the rest of the rotating body (22), having a lower specific thermal conductivity and / or having a lower heat transfer coefficient than a material used predominantly to form the rotating body (22).

5. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to one of the preceding Claims, Characterized in that at least one component (12) out of the rotating body (22) and the cabinet housing wall (12) with air lock aperture (24) exhibits a seal (60) with a sealing surface (60a) which is configured for sealing abutment against the respective other component (22).

6. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 5, Characterized in that the laboratory storage cabinet (10) exhibits a sealing surface clamping device (58), by means of which the sealing surface (60a) of a seal (60) of at least one component (12, 22) is clampable towards the respective other component (22, 12) and unclampable in the opposite direction.

7. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 6, Characterized in that by means of the sealing surface clamping device (58) the sealing surface (60a) is displaceable towards the respective other component (22, 12) and away from the latter.

8. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to one of the Claims 6 or 7, Characterized in that only the sealing surface (60a) of the seal (60) of one component (12) out of the rotating body (22) and the cabinet housing wall (12) with air lock aperture (24) is clampable by the sealing surface clamping device (58) towards the respective other component (22) and unclampable in the opposite direction, whereas a sealing counterface (84a) of a seal (84) of the respective other component (22) which is in sealing abutment engagement with the clampable and unclampable sealing surface (60a) of the first component (12) is deformable by the clampable sealing surface (60a).

9. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to one of the Claims 6 to 8, Characterized in that the sealing surface clamping device (58) is configured to introduce gas into a seal interior space of a hollow seal component (60) and / or comprises a pinching device (40, 62, 64a, 64b, 66) which is configured to deform the seal (60) in a first direction (A) in order to displace thereby the sealing surface (60a) in a second direction which differs from the first one.

10. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 9, Characterized in that the laboratory storage cabinet (10) exhibits a frame (40) which surrounds the air lock aperture (24) and the rotating body (22), where the frame (40) as a pinching device (40) exhibits two frame components (40a, 40b) which between them define a gap (41) in which the seal (60) is accommodated, where furthermore a pinch drive (62) is provided by means of which at least one frame component (40b) can be moved nearer to the respective frame component (40a) under a decrease of the gap dimension between the frame components (40a, 40b).

11. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to one of the preceding Claims, Characterized in that the laboratory storage cabinet (10) exhibits a rotary drive (52) for the rotation of the rotating body (22).

12. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 11 and Claim 6, Characterized in that the laboratory storage cabinet (10) exhibits a control device (70) which is configured at least for controlling the rotary drive (52) and for controlling the sealing surface clamping device (58), where the control device (52) is configured to unclamp a clamped sealing surface (60a) before operation of the rotary drive (52) and / or to clamp an unclamped sealing surface (60a) after operation of the rotary drive (52).

13. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to one of the preceding Claims, Characterized in that the laboratory storage cabinet (10) comprises at least one transfer sensor (74) in order to detect a change in the loading situation of the loading formation (44) in the outer transfer position, and / or comprises at least one engagement sensor (76, 78) in order to detect whether an object protrudes from outside the rotating body (58) into its movement space.

14. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 11 and Claim 9, Characterized in that the laboratory storage cabinet (10) exhibits a preassembled air lock assembly (38), comprising at least the rotating body (22) and the frame (40) surrounding the rotating body (22) and the air lock aperture (24).

15. Laboratory storage cabinet (10) according to Claim 14 and Claim 10 or 11, Characterized in that the preassembled air lock assembly (38) exhibits the pinch drive (62) and / or the rotary drive (52).

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