centrifuge

Abstract

The present invention relates to a centrifuge, comprising: a drive shaft portion (14) rotatable about a rotation axis (24); an adapter (12) connected to the drive shaft portion (14) or constituting a part of the drive shaft portion (14); a rotor (10) journaled in the adapter (12) and removable in an axial direction in an ejection direction; a quick release fastener (22) acting between the rotor (10) and the adapter (12), the quick release fastener (22) fixing the rotor (10) to the adapter (12) in the ejection direction and removable as required; an abutment (40a) connected to the adapter (12); a lock bearing (44) connected to the rotor (10); and at least one locking member (32) which is part of the quick release fastener (22) and which, when actuated, fixes the rotor (10) relative to the adapter (12) thereby locking the rotor (10) relative to the drive shaft portion (14). and a locking member (32) that fixes the rotor (10) relative to the adapter (12) and acts between a lock bearing (44) of the rotor (10) and an abutment (40a) of the drive shaft portion (14), the quick release fastener (22) comprising an operating member (26) that is operatively coupled to the operating member (26) such that the operating member (26) is mounted for linear movement relative to, and in particular for movement parallel to, the axis of rotation (24) of the drive shaft portion (14) between an unlocked position and a locked position, movement of the operating member (26) causes the locking member (32) to move linearly relative to the adapter (12), the locking member (32) being movable between the locked and unlocked positions at a first angle (α) relative to the axis of rotation (24), and the lock bearing (44) is oriented at a second angle (β) relative to the axis of rotation (24), the second angle (β) being different from the first angle (α). The present invention is characterized in that both angles (α, β) are angles measured clockwise from the operating member (26) side with the rotation shaft (24) as a reference, and are in the range of 0° to 90°.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to a centrifuge according to the field of the preamble of claim 1. [Background technology]

[0002] Centrifugal separators are already known which have a removable rotor and which are provided with a device for axially locking the rotor to a drive shaft or to a drive shaft of an adapter attached to the drive shaft in such a way that the rotor cannot rotate relative to the drive shaft, without requiring costly installation or special tools for said locking.

[0003] DE 10 2018 114 289 A1 describes a centrifuge. The centrifuge comprises a drive shaft which is rotatable about a rotation axis, to which an adapter is connected in a non-rotatable manner. The adapter can be removed from the drive shaft if necessary. Alternatively, the adapter can also be part of the drive shaft. The adapter is provided with a rotor which can be removed in the axial direction in the removal direction and which is connected to the adapter via a quick release fastener acting between the rotor and the adapter, which quick release fastener can be operated with one hand. The rotor is fixed in the removal direction to the adapter and thus to the drive shaft via said quick release fastener and can be removed if necessary, for example in order to load the rotor with samples outside the centrifuge or to insert other rotors for other sample containers into the centrifuge. The adapter is provided with abutments and the rotor is provided with locking bearings. Furthermore, at least one locking member is provided as part of the quick release fastener, which when actuated fixes the rotor relative to the adapter and thus relative to the drive shaft, acting between the lock bearing of the rotor and the abutment of the drive shaft. The quick release fastener further comprises an operating member, via which the locking member can be moved from the unlocked position to the locked position and vice versa. The locking member is operatively connected to the operating member such that the operating member is mounted so as to be linearly movable with respect to the rotation axis of the drive shaft between the unlocked position and the locked position, in particular parallel to the rotation axis. When the operating member is moved, the locking member is linearly moved with respect to the adapter between the unlocked position and the locked position. In order to prevent jamming of the rotor over a long period of time and to allow the rotor to be replaced without any problems, a very high manufacturing precision must be realized to realize such a configuration. This high manufacturing precision ensures a secure and play-free locking.

[0004] DE 10 2014 008 219 A1 also describes a centrifuge in which the locking element rotates from an unlocked position to a locked position around an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft. A disadvantage of this centrifuge is that the locking element rotates. If there are system tolerances, particularly height tolerances in the axial direction, the locking element cannot abut on the lock bearing with a surface, but only at points. This leads to localized material loads. Another problem with the above construction is that the locking element is subjected to high loads during rotation. Since the locking element is arranged horizontally and can move in a horizontal plane, the centrifugal forces act on it almost unhindered. It is often the case that the locking element bites into the rotor, making it impossible to remove the quick-release fastener, which in turn makes it impossible to remove the locking element. This then makes it impossible to easily remove the rotor from the adapter and the drive shaft.

[0005] DE 10 2014 002 126 A1 describes a centrifuge according to the preamble. The centrifuge comprises a quick release fastener for a rotor provided with a bearing shaft, on which a locking member is mounted axially slidably. A spring presses the locking member into the ejection position and into the locked position. Here, the locking surface of the locking bearing is oriented horizontally and the angle between said locking surface and the rotation axis is 90°. The angle of the bearing axis along which the locking member moves is between 95° and 120°, preferably between 100° and 110°, in particular between 100° and 107°. The locking member is formed in such a way that its downwardly facing front part, which corresponds to the locking surface of the rotor, moves horizontally when unlocking and when locking. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the forces occurring during the centrifugation operation can cause the locking member to jam. If jamming occurs, the quick release fastener is blocked and cannot be operated. Moreover, the surfaces of the locking member, the bearing shaft and the locking surface must be precisely machined. The shape of the locking member is very complex and does not allow for tolerance compensation, and if not finished accurately, the rotor and adapter may be installed with play. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem underlying the present invention is to improve the centrifuge of the field described in the preamble of claim 1 in such a way that the above-mentioned disadvantages are avoided while allowing a play-free locking of the rotor and the adapter by means of a locking element and also ensuring compensation of manufacturing tolerances.

[0007] For centrifuges, the above object is achieved by the features recited in the characterizing part of claim 1 in combination with the features recited in the preamble of said claim.

[0008] The invention is based on the realization that by arranging the locking element at a first angle to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft and forming the locking bearing of the rotor at a second angle to said axis, the manufacturing tolerances of the rotor, the adapter and the drive shaft can be compensated and a play-free locking of the rotor to the adapter and the drive shaft is achieved, whereby the locking element abuts against the locking bearing, for example, more or less radially.

[0009] The locking element is thus linearly movable between the locked and unlocked positions at a first angle relative to the axis of rotation. The lock bearing is oriented at a second angle relative to the axis of rotation, which is different from the first angle. Here, the first and second angles are in particular between 0° and 90° measured clockwise from the operating member side with respect to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft. By making these two angles different as described above, jamming of the locking element is prevented and furthermore it is ensured that the quick release fastener can be easily removed from the locked position to the unlocked position. This simply creates the prerequisite for compensating for manufacturing tolerances of the drive shaft, the adapter and the rotor, in particular in the direction of the axis of rotation. For example, the locking element is more or less engaged in the lock bearing depending on the manufacturing tolerances, so that a lock without play can be achieved despite the presence of manufacturing tolerances.

[0010] Preferably, the first angle is in the range of 20°-75° and the second angle is in the range of 10°-70°. The first angle adjusts, among other things, the force on the locking member during operation or rotation of the centrifuge: the larger the angle, the higher the centrifugal force on the locking member. The second angle adjusts the removal position of the locking member to compensate for tolerances.

[0011] The first angle is greater than the second angle, a smaller second angle results in a smaller difference in the position of the locking member when in the locked position relative to a configuration without tolerance for a particular tolerance, and a larger second angle results in a larger difference in the position of the locking member when in the locked position relative to a configuration without tolerance for a particular tolerance.

[0012] Preferably, the lock bearing defines a surface which extends to the adapter when in the locked position, the surface of the lock bearing having a height offset at the adapter when in the locked position relative to a locking member protruding from the adapter, such that in the locked position the locking member abuts the lock bearing at a radial distance from the adapter.

[0013] The height offset is greater than the maximum possible manufacturing tolerance of the mating surfaces of the adapter and the rotor in the direction parallel to the axis of rotation, which prevents the locking member from being unable to penetrate sufficiently into the lock bearing when the rotor is locked with the adapter in certain tolerance situations, or in the worst case, being blocked so that it cannot penetrate into the lock bearing at all.

[0014] In particular, the operating member is formed as a cylindrical pin. In its lower part, the operating member has a receiving portion for receiving one or more locking members. This configuration allows the movement of the operating member to be easily transmitted to the locking members.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the operating member has one or more U-shaped cutouts on the side relative to the locking members, which cutouts allow relative movement of the operating member with respect to each locking member between the locked and unlocked positions.

[0016] The U-shaped cutout may be formed in the laterally extending portion as an oblique hole extending at a first angle relative to the axis of rotation.

[0017] By providing a pressure plate on the drive shaft side of the operating member, providing a first abutment surface on one side of the pressure plate for abutting each locking member, and providing a second abutment surface on the other side of the pressure plate for abutting the spring, the possibility of force transmission from the spring to the operating member and the locking member is increased. When the locking member moves between the locked position and the unlocked position, it slides along the first abutment surface, thereby compensating for its relative position with respect to the operating member.

[0018] In this case, the orientation of the first contact surface of the pressure plate for contacting each locking member can be perpendicular to the first angle.

[0019] Depending on the design of the locking element, the locking element can abut against the lock bearing in a point-like manner, in particular in two points, in a line-like manner or in a surface-like manner.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the adapter has a guide surface for guiding the locking member, the guide surface being inclined at a first angle, which allows the locking member to move linearly in and out of the adapter, i.e., between a locked position and an unlocked position.

[0021] In this case, the abutment can be part of the adapter and can in particular be oriented at the first angle. In particular, the guide surface and the abutment can be identical.

[0022] To improve operability and in particular to prevent unintentional removal of the rotor from the adapter and thus from the drive shaft, the operating member and / or the locking member are spring biased towards the locked position.

[0023] By providing multiple locking members, it is possible to improve the prevention of unintentional unlocking. Furthermore, it is possible to distribute the forces occurring during operation among the multiple locking members, thereby reducing failures caused by wear or breakage of the locking members. Advantageously, there are at least two locking members, and preferably three. In this case, each locking member has the same configuration as the other locking members, which reduces manufacturing costs.

[0024] To provide a preliminary prevention of imbalance caused by the quick release fastener, the locking members are equally spaced from one another.

[0025] In one embodiment of the invention, the locking element is formed as an elongated pin, in particular the basic shape of the pin being generally cylindrical. This configuration ensures high dimensional accuracy within small tolerances while allowing simple, low-cost and reliable manufacture of the locking element by turning, and also allows the corresponding surfaces of the adapter and the rotor to be produced simply and low-cost.

[0026] To prevent accidental rotation of the locking member when moving from the locked position to the unlocked position and from the unlocked position to the locked position, the locking member has a notch that cooperates with a protrusion on the adapter as a rotation prevention.

[0027] In one embodiment, the front end of the locking member is provided with a slope that abuts against the lock bearing when in the locked position. This arrangement results in two rest points per locking member, which halves the force on the rest points for the locking member. This further reduces the risk of pinching and also allows the position of the locking member to be adjusted for certain manufacturing tolerances via the slope.

[0028] In another embodiment, the front end of the locking member is provided with a chamfer that is formed to extend parallel to the lock bearing with the rotor attached to the adapter when in the locked position. The locking member can be constructed as a simple turned part. A linear abutment is realized. This also makes it easy to reduce the risk of jamming.

[0029] The slope is preferably formed identically to the conical surface of the lock bearing, so that the locking element can abut on the lock bearing with a surface in the case of various height tolerances, which further reduces the risk of jamming. Such a conical surface of the lock bearing can be produced simply, inexpensively and reliably by turning and can achieve high dimensional accuracy within small tolerances.

[0030] Preferably, the locking member is supported on the adapter such that the longitudinal axis of the locking member intersects the axis of rotation.

[0031] In one embodiment of the present invention, three locking members are provided, which provides good distribution of forces occurring during operation and ensures a secure connection between the adapter and the rotor.

[0032] With the above-described configuration of the present invention, the locking member is guided in the adapter, and since the adjustment of the guide of the locking member is made within small tolerances, jamming is easily avoided.

[0033] Further advantages, configurations and applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the illustrative embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

[0034] In the following description, claims and drawings, the terminology and corresponding numerals set forth in the numeral legend below are used. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotor attached to a drive shaft and adapter of a centrifuge with a drive motor according to an embodiment of the present invention, without showing the safety container, the housing and other functional parts of the laboratory centrifuge. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 showing a partial cross-section of the rotor and the locking member in an unlocked position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 showing a partial cross-section of the rotor and the locking member in a locked position. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the circled area A of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotor after it has been removed from the centrifuge. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8a] FIG. [Figure 8b] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a first side view of the locking member. [Figure 16] 16 is a second side view of the locking member rotated 90° from the state of FIG. 15. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a locking member. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a side view of the locking member of FIG. 18. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] 1 to 17 show the experimental centrifuge of the first embodiment from different observation planes. The centrifuge includes a rotor 10, which is journaled on a drive shaft 14 via an adapter 12. A drive motor 18 drives the rotor 10 via the drive shaft 14 and the adapter 12.

[0037] The adapter 12 is connected to the drive shaft portion 14 so as not to be rotatable relative to the drive shaft portion 14, and is fixed to the drive shaft portion 14 in the axial direction.

[0038] The rotor 10 is a conventional rotor 10 and is provided with an obliquely formed sample container receiving portion 20 for receiving a sample container (not shown).

[0039] The rotor 10 is connected to the adapter 12 via a quick release fastener 22. The quick release fastener 22 fixes the rotor 10 to the adapter 12 so as to prevent relative rotation in both the axial direction and around a rotation axis 24 of the drive shaft portion 14.

[0040] The quick release fasteners 22 eliminate the need for tools to remove the rotor 10 from the adapter 12 and to insert the rotor 10 into a centrifuge, i.e., into the adapter 12 attached to the drive shaft 14.

[0041] The quick release fastener 22 has an operating member 26 that protrudes upward from the adapter 12 and the rotor 10, and this operating member 26 is a push button 26a. To achieve this, the adapter 12 is provided with a hole 28 that is arranged concentrically with the rotation axis 24 of the drive shaft portion 14, and an abutment ring 30 is inserted into this hole 28 at the upper end of the adapter. This abutment ring 30 restricts the upward movement of the operating member 26 in the axial direction. Please refer to Figures 2 to 4.

[0042] The upper part 26b of the operating member 26 is formed in a pin-like column shape. A wider cylindrical lower part 26c is connected to this part, and the lower part 26c has a concentric hole 26d that opens downward. Please refer to Figures 7 to 9. Three U-shaped notches 34 are provided on the sides of the lower part 26c, and three locking members 32 are provided corresponding to these notches 34. The lateral extension parts 34a of the U-shaped notches 34 are formed as oblique holes. Here, the angle of the oblique holes corresponds to the first angle α. The lower part of the U-shaped notches 34 is provided with one protrusion 34b on each side. The protrusions 34b on both sides engage with the notches 32b of the locking member 32 from each side. Please refer to Figures 14 and 15. Here, the notch 32b of the locking member 32 is formed so that the locking member 32 and the operating member 26 can move relative to each other, and at that time, the notch 32b functions as a guide for the relative movement.

[0043] A pressure plate 36 abuts on the lower side of the operating member 26, and the pressure plate 36 has a conical surface 36a on the side of the hole 26d against which the locking member 32 and the lower part abut. The conical surface 36a, i.e., the cone formed thereby, extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the locking member 32 and therefore perpendicular to the first angle α. The locking member 32 moves along the conical surface when moving from the locked position to the unlocked position and when moving in the reverse direction. On the side opposite to the locking member 32, a spring 38 abuts on a second abutment surface on the pressure plate 36 opposite to the first abutment surface, and the spring 38 is supported by a step 28a in the hole 28 of the adapter 12, and biases the operating member 26 and the locking member 32 upward toward the locked position.

[0044] The adapter 12 is formed in the form of a turned part, i.e. it is rotationally symmetrical. It is provided with three oblique bores 40, which are formed in the adapter 12 at a first angle α and are equidistant from one another. Each bore 40 guides one of the cylindrically formed locking elements 32, which are formed in such a way that they can be moved linearly along the longitudinal axis 42 of the bore 40 between the unlocked position (see FIG. 2) and the locked position (see FIG. 3), said longitudinal axis 42 of the bore 40 being oriented at the first angle α. To achieve this, the inner surface of the bore 40 in the adapter 12 serves as a guide surface, which at the same time also serves as an abutment 40a for the locking elements 32 in the locked position.

[0045] The adapter 12 has a conical portion on the outside of the lower portion thereof which serves as a base 12a for the rotor 10. The base 12a fixes the rotor 10 so that it does not move downward in the axial direction.

[0046] 14 to 17, the locking member 32 is formed as a cylindrical pin. A cone-shaped portion 32a is provided at the lower end of the locking member. A notch 32b is formed on each of both sides of the cone-shaped portion 32a of the locking member 32 so as to form a flat rectangle, and these two rectangles have two guide surfaces 32c that are parallel to each other.

[0047] The upper portion of the locking member 32 is rounded and has a conically shaped upper clamping surface 32d on a surface rotated 90° from the guide surface 32c, which is in planar contact with a corresponding surface of the lock bearing 44 of the rotor 10. The other portions of the upper portion of the locking member 32 are rounded. The basic shape of the locking member is cylindrical and rotationally symmetrical.

[0048] Another alternative embodiment of the locking member 32 is shown in Figures 18 and 19. In this figure, a rotationally symmetric cutout 32e is formed adjacent to the conical portion 32b, concentrically formed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the locking member, for example by turning. The height of the cutout 32e corresponds in this embodiment to the height of the cutout 32b.

[0049] As shown in particular in FIG. 2, the lock bearing 44 extends at a second angle β. The first angle α is greater than the second angle β. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 4, the surface 44a of the lock bearing 44 extends below the bore 40 of the adapter 12. Referring to FIG. 4, a height offset H is created, which allows to compensate for the manufacturing tolerances along the rotation axis 24 of the drive shaft 14 (height tolerances, mainly caused by the two conical parts 52, 54, the first conical part 52 between the rotor 10 and the adapter 12 and the second conical part 54 between the adapter 12 and the rotor 10). The lock bearing 44 is a conical surface 44a oriented at a second angle β. Here, the height offset H is always greater than the maximum possible manufacturing tolerances of the abutting surfaces of the drive shaft 14, the adapter 12 and the rotor 10 in the direction parallel to the rotation axis. The height offset H described above causes the lock member 32 to abut the lock bearing 44 at a position radially spaced from the adapter 12 when in the locked position.

[0050] For example, the first angle α, which is the angle of orientation of the abutment 40a of the guide surface and hole 40, and the second angle β, which is the angle of orientation of the lock bearing 44, are both angles measured clockwise from above the rotation axis 24 to the abutment 40a to the lock bearing 44. Here, the first angle α is greater than the second angle β, the first angle α being 0° to 90°, in particular 30°, and the second angle β is likewise 0° to 90°, in particular 20°.

[0051] The locking members 32 are arranged at equal intervals from one another. In this regard, the holes 40 are also arranged at equal intervals from one another, and the U-shaped cutouts 34 are also arranged at equal intervals from one another. Each locking member 32 is provided corresponding to one U-shaped cutout 34 and one hole 40 formed in the adapter 12. In this case, both side projections 34b of one U-shaped cutout 34 enter the cutout 32b of the locking member 32.

[0052] The cutout portion 32c cooperates with both side projections 34b in the U-shaped cutout portion 34 to form an anti-misrotation portion for the locking member 32. This prevents the locking member 32 from rotating when moving linearly from the unlocked position to the locked position.

[0053] 5 and 6, the rotor has a rotor hole 46 arranged concentrically with the rotation axis 24, and the rotor hole 46 has a conical part 48 at its free end. The conical part 48 is a bearing on the rotor side facing the base part 12a of the adapter 12. The rotor hole 46 opens downwards so that the rotor 10 can be attached to the adapter 12 and so that the adapter 12 can be engaged with the rotor 10. A through hole 50 is provided at the top concentrically with the rotation axis 24, and when the rotor 10 is attached, the push button 26a of the operating member 26 protrudes from this through hole 50. In other respects, the rotor 10 is provided with a sample container receiving part 20 for receiving a sample container (not shown) as in the conventional case.

[0054] Preferably, a number of different sets of rotors 10 are provided, each capable of receiving a different shaped sample container, but the portion of the rotor bore 46 in which the through hole 50 and the lock bearing 44 are provided always have the same configuration.

[0055] When the rotor 10 is to be removed from the centrifuge, that is, when the rotor 10 is to be lifted in the removal direction, i.e., upward, from the adapter 12 and the drive shaft 14, the push button 26a of the operating member 26 is pressed downward from the lock position (see Figs. 3 and 4) to the unlock position (see Fig. 2). Then, the operating member 26 and the pressure plate 36 move linearly downward against the force of the spring 38, and the locking members 32 also move linearly downward. Each locking member 32 moves linearly obliquely downward at a first angle α until it is completely accommodated in the adapter 12 and the upper part of the locking member is in the hole 40. As a result, the locking members 32 no longer block the rotor 10 from being pulled upward from the adapter 12. During the movement of the locking member 32, the abutment point of the locking member 32 on the conical surface 36a of the pressure plate 36 moves linearly in one direction or the other depending on whether the locking member 32 is exiting or entering the adapter 12.

[0056] For example, after replacing the rotor 10, the central rotor hole 46 of the rotor 10, which is formed to match the adapter 12, is fitted into the adapter 12 until the conical part 48 of the rotor 10 rests on the base part 12a of the adapter 12. At this time, the conical part 48 of the rotor 10 presses the locking member 32 downward into the adapter 12 and the rotor hole 46 holds it in this position until the conical part 48 of the rotor 10 rests on the base part 12a. The locking member 32 is then positioned slightly below the hole 40 of the adapter 12, and under the force of the spring 38, the locking member 32 can move linearly into the locking bearing 44 without being hindered until the clamping surface 32d of the locking member 32 rests on the locking bearing 44. In this way, the rotor 10 is again firmly connected to the adapter 12 and, via it, to the drive shaft part 14. If manufacturing tolerances occur, the locking bearing 44 may become higher or lower. This increases or decreases the extent to which the locking member 32 penetrates into the locking bearing 44. In any case, the locking bearing 44, the locking member 32, and the abutment 40a are frictionally coupled without play within the bore 40 of the adapter 12. This ensures that the rotor 10 is securely attached to the adapter 12, and therefore to the drive shaft 14.

[0057] In this way, the rotor 10 is not locked with play and manufacturing tolerances can be easily compensated for. The inclined position described above ensures that the centrifugal forces occurring during rotation only partially affect the locking members 32, which also prevents pinching due to high centrifugal forces. As described above, the present invention allows tolerances to be easily compensated for, which makes it easier to manufacture the individual components. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10 Rotor 12 Adapters 12a: Mounting portion of adapter 12 to rotor 10 14 Drive shaft 18 Drive motor 20 Sample container receiving section 22 Quick release fastener 24 Rotating shaft of drive shaft 26 Operating member 26a Push button of operating member 26 26b Upper part of the operating member 26 26c Lower part of the operating member 26 26d: A hole opening downward in the operating member 26 28 Adapter 12 hole 28a: Step in hole 28 of adapter 12 30 Contact ring 32 Locking member 32a: Cone-shaped portion at the lower end of the locking member 32 32b: a notch adjacent to the conical portion 32a of the locking member 32 32c Guide surface of lock member 32 32d: Clamping surface of locking member 32 (first embodiment) 32e: Notch of lock member 32 (second embodiment) 34 U-shaped notch 34a: Lateral extension of the U-shaped notch 34 34b Lateral protrusion in U-shaped notch 34 36 Pressing plate 36a Conical surface of the pressing plate 36 38 Spring acting on the operating member 26 40 holes 40a abutment 42 Longitudinal axis of hole 40 44 Rotor 10 Lock Bearing 44a Face of lock bearing 44 46 Rotor concentric hole 48 conical portion of lower free end of rotor 10 50: Through hole of rotor 10 for operating member 26 52 first cone of rotor 10 / adapter 12 54 Second cone of adapter 12 / drive shaft 14 α First angle β Second angle H Height offset

Claims

1. A drive shaft portion (14) rotatable about a rotation axis (24), An adapter (12) connected to the drive shaft portion (14) or forming part of the drive shaft portion (14), A rotor (10) received by the adapter (12) and removable in the axial direction in the extraction direction, A quick-release fastener (22) acting between the rotor (10) and the adapter (12), the quick-release fastener (22) fixing the rotor (10) relative to the adapter (12) in the extraction direction and being removable as required, An abutment (40a) connected to the adapter (12), A locking bearing (44) connected to the rotor (10), At least one locking member (32) which is part of the quick-release fastener (22), the locking member (32) fixing the rotor (10) relative to the drive shaft portion (14) by fixing the rotor (10) relative to the adapter (12) when the locking member (32) is actuated, the locking member (32) acting between the locking bearing (44) of the rotor (10) and the abutment (40a) of the drive shaft portion (14), A centrifuge comprising: The quick-release fastener (22) comprises an operating member (26), The locking member (32) is operatively coupled to the operating member (26) such that the operating member (26) is linearly movable relative to the rotation axis (24) of the drive shaft portion (14) between an unlocked position and a locked position, and in particular is movable parallel to the rotation axis (24), When the operating member (26) moves, the locking member (32) moves linearly relative to the adapter (12), The locking member (32) is movable between the locked position and the unlocked position at a first angle (α) relative to the rotation axis (24), and the orientation of the locking bearing (44) is at a second angle (β) relative to the rotation axis (24), provided that the second angle (β) is different from the first angle (α), Both angles (α, β) are in the range of 0° to 90° measured clockwise from the side of the operating member (26) with respect to the rotation axis (24). A centrifuge characterized by the above.

2. The first angle (α) is in the range of 20° to 75°, and the second angle (β) is in the range of 10° to 70°. The centrifuge according to Claim 1.

3. The first angle (α) is greater than the second angle (β). The centrifuge according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The lock bearing (44) forms a surface (44a) that reaches the adapter (12) when in the locked position. The surface (44a) of the lock bearing (44) has a height offset (H) with respect to a lock member (32) protruding from the adapter (12) at the adapter (12) when in the locked position, so that the lock member (32) contacts the lock bearing (44) at a radial distance from the adapter (12). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

5. The height offset (H) is greater than the maximum possible manufacturing tolerance of the contacting surfaces of the adapter (12) and the rotor (10) in a direction parallel to the rotation axis (24). The centrifuge according to claim 4.

6. The operating member (26) is a cylindrical pin and has a receiving portion for receiving one or more of the lock members (32) at the lower part. The centrifuge according to claim 1.

7. The operating member (26) has one or more U-shaped notches (34) on the side with respect to the lock member (32). The notch (34) enables relative movement of the operating member (26) with respect to each lock member (32) between the locked position and the unlocked position. The centrifuge according to claim 6.

8. The U-shaped notch (34) is formed as an inclined hole extending at the first angle (α) with respect to the rotation axis (24) in a laterally extending portion (34a). The centrifuge according to claim 7.

9. A pressing plate (36) is provided on the side of the drive shaft portion (14) of the operating member (26). A first contact surface (36a) for contacting each lock member (32) is provided on one surface of the pressing plate (36), and a second contact surface for contacting a spring (38) is provided on the other surface of the pressing plate (36). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

10. The direction of the first contact surface (36a) of the pressing plate (36) for contacting each lock member (32) is at an angle perpendicular to the first angle (α). The centrifuge according to claim 9.

11. The adapter (12) has a guide surface for guiding the lock member (32), and the guide surface is inclined, in particular, at the first angle (α). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

12. The abutment (40a) is part of the adapter (12), and the orientation of the abutment (40a) is, in particular, the first angle (α). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

13. The operating member (26) and / or the lock member (32) is spring-biased in the direction of the locked position. The centrifuge according to claim 1.

14. A plurality of, at least two, preferably three lock members (32) are provided, and each of the lock members (32) has the same configuration as the other lock members (32). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

15. Each of the lock members (32) is arranged at equal intervals from each other. The centrifuge according to claim 14.

16. The lock member (32) is formed as an elongated pin as a whole, and in particular, the basic shape of the pin is cylindrical. The centrifuge according to claim 1.

17. The lock member (32) has cutouts (32b, 32e) that cooperate to prevent rotation together with the protrusion (34b) of the adapter (12) while moving from the locked position to the unlocked position. The centrifuge according to claim 16.

18. At the front end of the lock member (32), a slope (32d) with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lock member (32) is provided, and when in the locked position, the slope (32d) abuts against the lock bearing (44). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

19. The lock member is supported by the adapter such that the longitudinal axis of the lock member (32) intersects the rotation axis (24). The centrifuge according to claim 1.

Images