Support elements for modular transport surfaces, modular transport surfaces, and laboratory distribution systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a support element for a modular transport surface having a plurality of transport module units (1) each equipped with a drive surface assembly (4), the support element having an upper support surface (55) configured to support the drive surface assemblies (4) of at least two adjacent transport module units (1), the upper support surface (55) being provided with drive surface assembly joints (56) configured to engage complementary joints of the supported drive surface assemblies (4), the support element comprising a lower portion (50) having a mounting structure and an upper portion (51) having the upper support surface (55), the upper portion (51) being longitudinally connected to the lower portion (50) via a connecting structure (52), the connecting structure (52) being configured to inhibit relative movement between the lower portion (50) and the upper portion (51) in the longitudinal direction of the support element and to allow limited relative movement between the lower portion (50) and the upper portion (51) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element. The present invention further relates to a modular transfer surface, a laboratory dispensing system, and a laboratory automation system comprising the laboratory dispensing system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a support element for a modular transfer surface and a modular transfer surface for a laboratory distribution system. The present invention further relates to a laboratory distribution system and a laboratory automation system comprising the laboratory distribution system.

Background Art

[0002] Laboratory automation systems comprise a plurality of pre-analysis stations, analysis stations and / or post-analysis stations, where specimens, such as blood, saliva, swab specimens, and other specimens taken from the human or animal body, are processed. For the processing and movement of specimens, it is generally known to provide various containers containing the specimens, such as test tubes and vials. Test tubes are also referred to as specimen tubes or sample tubes. In the context of this application, a container such as a test tube or vial for containing a specimen is referred to as a specimen container.

[0003] For the movement or distribution of specimen containers, laboratory distribution systems comprising a transfer surface and a plurality of carriers are known. The carriers are configured to hold one or more specimen containers in an upright or vertical position, each comprising at least one magnetic operating element, such as at least one permanent magnet. The transfer surface is configured to support the carriers on a drive surface and comprises a plurality of electromagnetic actuators arranged stationary below the drive surface, the electromagnetic actuators being controllable to move the carriers arranged on the drive surface by applying a magnetic force to the carriers.

[0004] European Patent Application Publication No. 3211430 describes a modular or tiled transport surface having a plurality of transport modules, comprising a base plate assembly, an actuator assembly, and a drive surface assembly. The transport module units have a basic shape of a regular polygon, particularly a basic shape of a square with four corners. To assemble the transport surface from the plurality of transport modules, first, the plurality of base plate assemblies are attached to a support structure, and adjacent base plate assemblies are aligned and connected to each other in the corner region by support elements of the shape of corner support elements. The actuator assembly is attached to the base plate assembly. Finally, the drive surface assembly is attached to the base plate assembly via the corner support elements.

[0005] U.S. Patent No. 10,288,634 describes a modular or tiled transport surface having a plurality of transport modules, each transport module having a basic regular polygonal shape with three, four, or six corners, and comprising actuator assemblies and drive surface assemblies. The tiled transport surface is mounted to a support frame in a grid pattern by a plurality of support brackets, the corners of adjacent transport modules defining nodes in the grid pattern, and each support bracket comprises a support structure positioned at one of the nodes in the grid pattern. Each support structure comprises a corner support element having a cross element configured to support all corner regions of the adjacent actuator assemblies of the node, and an upper support surface having an opening configured to receive connecting pins of the adjacent drive surface assemblies of the node. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a support element for a modular transport surface that enables reliable alignment of adjacent drive surface assemblies even during misalignment and / or thermal expansion of the support structure or base plate assembly. A further object of the present invention is to provide a modular transport surface comprising such a support element.

[0007] According to a first embodiment, a support element is provided for a modular transport surface having a plurality of transport module units, each transport module unit comprising a drive surface assembly, wherein the support element comprises a lower portion having a mounting structure and an upper portion having an upper support surface, the upper support surface being configured to support the drive surface assemblies of at least two adjacent transport module units, the upper support surface comprising a drive surface assembly joint configured to engage with a complementary joint of the supported drive surface, the upper portion being longitudinally connected to the lower portion via a connecting structure, the connecting structure being configured to suppress relative movement between the lower and upper portions in the longitudinal direction of the support element and to allow limited relative movement between the lower and upper portions in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element.

[0008] A drive surface assembly comprises, for example, a drive surface, a drive surface support, and a sensor substrate. The sensor substrate forms part of a device for detecting the presence or position of a carrier moving across the upper side of the drive surface. In one embodiment, the drive surface is transparent to IR light, and the sensor substrate may be equipped with a grid of multiple IR-based reflective light barriers, and the carrier may be adapted to reflect the IR radiation emitted by the light barriers. In another embodiment, the sensor substrate is equipped with an inductive sensor adapted to detect the position of a carrier moving across the upper side of the drive surface. The transport module unit may further comprise an actuator assembly having a back iron and a plurality of coils attached to the back iron and a controller circuit board. The transport module unit of the embodiment is mounted above a base plate assembly having power cables, communication cables, and a cooling infrastructure.

[0009] The support element, more specifically the lower portion of the support element, includes a mounting structure. In one embodiment, the mounting structure is configured to attach the lower portion to a support frame. In other embodiments, a base plate assembly is provided, and the mounting structure is configured to attach the lower portion to the base plate assembly.

[0010] The upper portion is mounted so as to be movable relative to the lower portion in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. In other words, the upper portion is connected to a floating lower portion. This allows for limited relative movement between the lower and upper portions, and therefore between the lower portion and the drive surface assembly, which is supported by the upper support surface and engages with the upper portion.

[0011] During the installation and / or use of modular transport surfaces, misalignments between the base plate assembly and / or other support structures may be caused, for example, by manufacturing tolerances, assembly tolerances, installation tolerances, and / or thermal expansion or contraction. By providing multi-part support elements, alignment of the drive surface assembly can be achieved using the upper portion of the set of support elements, despite misalignments between the base plate assembly and / or other support structures that engage with the lower portion of the set of support elements.

[0012] Throughout this specification and the claims, the indefinite article "a" or "an" means "one or more." A reference to "the first element" does not obligate the existence of "the second element." Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely to distinguish one element from another and not to indicate any arbitrary order of elements.

[0013] In one embodiment, the connecting structure comprises a pair of connecting hook elements and eye elements, particularly three or four pairs of connecting hook elements and eye elements evenly distributed around the outer circumference of a support element, wherein the hook elements and eye elements of the pair of connecting hook elements and eye elements have a contacting cross brace configured to allow sliding motion between the hook elements and eye elements in at least one direction in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element.

[0014] In the context of this application, a hook element is defined as a curved or bent element having a free end and configured to connect with an eye element configured to capture the hook element to restrict its longitudinal movement. In one embodiment, the eye element also has a free end and has a similar design to the hook element. In other embodiments, the eye element is a closed loop-shaped element. The hook element and the eye element are in contact with each other in a cross brace, which, according to the embodiment, is configured to allow sliding motion between the hook element and the eye element in at least one direction in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element.

[0015] In one embodiment, the hook element is formed in the upper portion and the eye element is formed in the lower portion. In another embodiment, the hook element is formed in the lower portion and the eye element is formed in the upper portion.

[0016] In one embodiment, to enable relative sliding motion, the hook element and the eye element each have cross braces with flat contact surfaces, and in particular, the cross braces are arranged orthogonally to each other. In one embodiment, the cross braces are in the form of bars, and the longitudinal extension of the cross brace of the hook element is greater than the longitudinally perpendicular extension of the cross brace of the eye element. Similarly, the longitudinal extension of the cross brace of the eye element is greater than the longitudinally perpendicular extension of the cross brace of the hook element. This allows for relative movement between the hook element and the eye element along the longitudinal direction of the two cross braces, and thus relative movement between the lower and upper portions in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element.

[0017] To restrict relative movement and ensure connection between the hook element and the eye element, in one embodiment, the cross brace of the hook element is provided with a locking claw at its free end.

[0018] In one embodiment, the connecting structure comprises a pair of hook and eye elements positioned along the centerline of the support element. To provide a more stable connection, in other embodiments, the connecting structure comprises four pairs of connecting hook and eye elements. In one embodiment, the cross braces of the hook elements are positioned along the four sides of a virtual square and oriented in a common direction around the circumference of the virtual square. This arrangement allows the upper portion to connect to the lower portion by rotating the upper portion around the centerline.

[0019] As described above, in one embodiment, the transfer module unit further comprises an actuator assembly having a back iron. In one embodiment, the actuator assembly is supported by a base plate assembly positioned below the actuator assembly. Alternatively or additionally, in one embodiment, the upper portion of the support element is provided with a back iron joint configured to connect with the back irons of the actuator assemblies of two adjacent transfer module units.

[0020] In one embodiment, the back iron joint comprises two opposing force-applying surfaces, each configured to connect to a back iron of one of the actuator assemblies of two adjacent transport module units, thereby suppressing the relative movement of adjacent transport module units moving away from each other, and transmitting force through the back iron and force-applying surfaces in response to the suppressed relative movement. This force transmission enables the distribution of relative movement on the modular transport surface.

[0021] In one embodiment, to prevent liquid accidentally spilled on the upper surface of the drive surface assembly from entering the transfer module unit, a central cavity for liquid collection is provided in the upper portion.

[0022] In one embodiment, the support element is positioned precisely at the left and right joints between two adjacent transport module units. In another embodiment, the support element is a corner support element, and the upper support surface is provided with up to three, four, or six drive surface assembly joints configured to engage with complementary joints of supported drive surface assemblies having a basic shape of hexagon, square, or triangle, respectively. The corner support element enables stable support of the transport module units and precise alignment of adjacent transport module units with a minimum number of support elements.

[0023] In one embodiment, the lower mounting structure is provided with up to three, four, or six baseplate assembly joints configured to engage with complementary joints in the corner regions of baseplate assemblies having a basic shape of hexagon, square, or triangle, respectively. In one embodiment, the transport module unit further comprises baseplate assemblies. In other embodiments, baseplate assemblies are provided below each transport module unit comprising an actuator module and a drive surface module. In both cases, the number of baseplate assemblies supported by a single support element is the same as the number of drive surface assemblies supported by the support element. However, embodiments are also conceivable in which only one baseplate assembly and one drive surface assembly are provided.

[0024] In one embodiment, each base plate assembly joint includes a guide pin or guide recess configured to engage with a guide recess or guide pin of the base plate assembly, and the mounting structure further includes a plurality of legs positioned between the guide pins or guide recesses, each leg having an upward engaging surface for snap-fitting connection with complementary snap-on elements of the base plate assemblies of two adjacent transport module units. In one embodiment, the guide pins or guide recesses in the base plate assembly are positioned along the angle bisector in the corner region, and the snap-on elements are positioned symmetrically on both sides of the guide pins or guide recesses.

[0025] In one embodiment, a central body is provided in the lower portion, and the lower end of the central body is configured to press against the base plate assembly joint of the lower portion and the seal of the base plate assembly with which the joint engages. In one embodiment, the seal is configured to airtightly seal the inside of the base plate assembly to the environment for internal air recirculation. By using support elements, particularly in the form of corner support elements, to press against the seal, the seal extending between the base plate assemblies can act as a plug, improving the sealing effect.

[0026] According to a second embodiment, a modular transport surface is provided having a plurality of transport module units, wherein each transport module unit comprises a drive surface assembly and a plurality of component support elements.

[0027] According to a third embodiment, a laboratory distribution system is provided having a modular transport surface and a plurality of carriers, wherein each carrier is configured to transport sample containers and comprises at least one magnetic operating element, preferably at least one permanent magnet.

[0028] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a laboratory automation system having a plurality of pre-analysis stations, analysis stations and / or post-analysis stations, and a laboratory distribution system.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to schematic diagrams. Throughout the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] [Figure 1] It is a plan view of a transfer surface for a laboratory distribution system constructed from several transfer module units. [Figure 2] It is an exploded view of a transfer module unit. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of a corner support element for connecting adjacent transfer module units. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view of the corner support element of FIG. 3 at the time of installation. [Figure 5] It is a detailed view of the corner support element of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view of the corner support element of FIG. 3 combined with the corner regions of two base plate assemblies. [Figure 7] It shows the upper part of the corner support element of FIG. 3 together with the corner region of one drive surface assembly. [Figure 8] It shows the separated upper part of the corner support element of FIG. 3. [Figure 9] It is a perspective view of four base plate assemblies interconnected by a corner support element and a back iron of a related actuator assembly. [Figure 10] It is detail X of FIG. 9 showing the force distribution via the back iron when moving the transfer module units away from each other. [Figure 11] It is detail X of FIG. 9 showing the force distribution via the back iron when moving the transfer module units towards each other.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Figure 1 schematically shows a plan view of an embodiment of a modular transport surface 10 constructed from multiple, in an embodiment, 20 transport module units 1. The transport module units 1 are connected to an infrastructure system 11 comprising support struts 12. Each of the transport module units 1 shown has a square basic shape, which allows for the construction of transport surfaces 10 of various designs by adding additional transport module units 1 to any side of an already existing unit 1 and / or by removing transport module units 1 from the transport surface 10 shown in Figure 1. In other embodiments, the transport module units have different basic shapes, for example, a triangular basic shape or a hexagonal basic shape. Preferably, all transport module units 1 have the same basic shape, and their shapes are mosaic shapes. However, in certain embodiments, the transport device is composed of transport module units 1 having different basic shapes.

[0032] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the transport module unit 1, base plate assembly 2, and support elements for constructing the transport surface 10 of Figure 1. The transport module unit 1 shown in Figure 2 comprises two assemblies, namely, an actuator assembly 3 and a drive surface assembly 4. The actuator assembly 3 comprises a plurality of electromagnetic actuators 30 mounted on a back iron 37, the back iron 37 being supported by a handle protection 31. The drive surface assembly 4 comprises a drive surface 40, a drive surface support having a joint 42, and a sensor substrate (not shown). In the shown embodiment, the transport module unit 1 is provided with one base plate assembly 2 positioned below the transport module unit 1 and configured to connect the transport module unit 1 to a support strut 12 (see Figure 1).

[0033] Adjacent transport module units 1 are connected by support elements. In the shown embodiment, the support elements are in the form of corner support elements 5 that connect the corner regions of up to four adjacent transport module units 1. In alternative embodiments where the transport module units have a triangular or hexagonal basic shape, the corner support elements are designed to support the corner regions of up to six or up to three adjacent transport module units, respectively. Alternatively or additionally, yet another embodiment provides support elements that connect adjacent transport module units 1 along their sides.

[0034] The illustrated base plate assembly 2 comprises a base plate 20 having a basic square shape with four sides and four corners. The corner support elements 5 have mounting structures for attaching the corner support elements 5 to the corners of the base plates 20 of adjacent base plate assemblies 2, and the base plates 20 are aligned by the corner support elements 5. The corner support elements 5 further comprises an upper support surface 55 having a drive surface assembly joint 56 configured to engage with a complementary joint 42 of a supported drive surface assembly 4. In other words, in the illustrated embodiment, the corner support elements 5 function as connecting nodes for up to four base plate assemblies 2 and up to four drive surface assemblies 4. Furthermore, the corner support elements 5 comprises a back iron joint 57. The back iron joint 57, mounting structure, and upper support surface 55 will be described in more detail below.

[0035] The corner support element 5 is shown separately in Figure 3. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the corner support element 5 during assembly. Figure 5 is a larger-scale detail view of the corner support element in Figure 3.

[0036] The illustrated corner support element 5 is a two-part element comprising a lower portion 50 and an upper portion 51, the upper portion 51 being longitudinally connected to the lower portion 50 via a connecting structure 52. The connecting structure 52 is such that the upper portion 51 is floatingly connected to the lower portion 50. This allows for relative movement in the horizontal plane between the base plate assembly 2 and the drive surface assembly 4 connected to the corner support element 5.

[0037] The connecting structure 52 shown in Figures 3 to 5 comprises four pairs of connecting hook elements and eye elements. In the illustrated embodiment, four hook elements 521 (only two are visible in Figure 3) are provided on the upper surface 500 of the lower portion 50, and four eye elements 522 are provided on the bottom surface of the upper portion 51.

[0038] The connecting structure 52, comprising a hook element 521 and an eye element 522, suppresses relative movement between the lower portion 50 and the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5 in the longitudinal direction, and allows for limited relative movement between the lower portion 50 and the upper portion 51 in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the corner support element 5.

[0039] As best shown in Figure 5, the hook element 521 and the eye element 522 are provided with contacting cross brackets 5210 and 5220. The hook element 521 protrudes from the upper surface 500 of the lower portion 50, the cross bracket 5210 is positioned parallel to the upper surface 500, and the cross bracket 5220 of the eye element 522 fits between the cross bracket 5210 of the hook element 521 and the upper surface 500, thereby restricting the movement of the corner support element 5 between the lower portion 50 and the upper portion 51 in the longitudinal direction. The free end of the cross bracket 5210 is provided with a claw 5212. The longitudinal extension of the cross bracket 5210 of the hook element 521 is greater than the longitudinally perpendicular extension of the cross bracket 5220 of the eye element 522. Similarly, the longitudinal extension of the cross bracket 5220 of the eye element 522 is greater than the longitudinally perpendicular extension of the cross bracket 5210 of the hook element 521. This allows for relative movement of the two cross brackets 5210, 5220 along their longitudinal direction between the lower portion 50 and the upper portion 51. The relative movement is limited by the dimensions of the cross brackets 5210, 5220. Furthermore, U-shaped rims 501 are provided projecting from the upper surface 500, with each rim 501 partially surrounding one of the hook elements 521 on its two sides and the end opposite its free end. The rims 501 also limit the movement of the eye element 522 relative to the hook element 521, thereby avoiding high bending forces on the hook element 521 when the eye element 522 moves relative to the cross bracket 5220.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the cross brackets 5210 of the hook element 521 are positioned along the four sides of the virtual square and oriented in a common direction in the circumferential direction of the corner support element 5. The cross brackets 5220 of the eye element 522 are positioned perpendicular to the four sides of the virtual square. As shown in Figure 4, in order to connect the upper portion 51 to the lower portion 50, the hook element 521 is passed through the eye element 522 by rotating the upper portion 51 relative to the lower portion 50, as schematically shown by the arrows.

[0041] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the corner support element 5, combined with the corner region of the two base plate assemblies 2. As shown in Figure 6, the lower portion 50 of the corner support element 5 has a central body 502, and the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5 has a central body 512, the lower end of the central body 512 of the upper portion 51 is rotatable and is playfully received in the recess of the central body 502 of the lower portion 50.

[0042] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments are possible, for example, in which a hook element is provided on the upper part, or a connecting eye element having a free end is provided instead of a closed loop.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the lower portion 50 is provided with a mounting structure and, in the illustrated embodiment, includes four base plate assembly joints 53 configured to engage with complementary joints 24 (see Figure 2) in the corner regions of the base plate assembly 2 having a rectangular, particularly square, basic shape.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, in the corner region of each base plate assembly 2, upwardly projecting pins (not visible in the figure) are provided on the virtual diagonal of the base plate 20. Furthermore, each corner region is provided with two snap-on elements 25 arranged symmetrically with respect to the virtual diagonal.

[0045] Each base plate assembly joint 53 includes a guide recess 530 configured to receive a guide pin from below, which is located at the corner of the base plate assembly 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the central body 502 of the lower portion 50 has an essentially square cross-section with four corners and four sides, and the guide recesses 530 are located at the four corners of the central body 502. Furthermore, the mounting structure includes a plurality of legs 531 projecting from the sides of the central body 502, in the embodiment, four legs 531 located between the guide recesses 530. Each leg 531 has an upward engaging surface 532 provided at a wedge-shaped end.

[0046] As shown in Figure 6, the leg portion 531 having an upward engaging surface 532 may be positioned on the base plate 20 of the base plate assembly 2 and is configured to snap-fit ​​to complementary snap-on elements 25 of the base plate assembly 2 of two adjacent transport module units 1, and in the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 6, in either case, only one snap-on element 25 is shown, supported by each leg portion 531 provided on the left and right drawing planes of the corner support element 5.

[0047] As further shown in Figures 3 and 6, the lower end of the central body 502 is configured to press against the seal 26 of the base plate assembly 2. When assembled, the corner support element 5 acts as a plug, pressing against the corner seal 26 between the base plate assemblies 2 to form a seal at the corner between adjacent base plate assemblies 2. As shown in Figure 3, the upper portion 51 is provided with an upper support surface 55 having four drive surface assembly joints 56. Each drive surface assembly joint 56 is equipped with an alignment pin 560.

[0048] Figure 7 shows the upper support surface 55 of a corner support element 5 having four alignment pins 560, together with the corner region of a drive surface assembly 4. As shown in Figure 7, each alignment pin 560 is configured to receive an alignment hole 44 provided in the corner of the drive surface assembly 4 from above. Furthermore, below the upper support surface 55 are several projections 551 configured to snap-fit ​​and connect with complementary snap-on elements 420 of the drive surface assembly 4.

[0049] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the upper portion 51 is provided with a central cavity 54 for liquid collection. The central cavity 54 is formed in the central body 512 of the upper portion 51. The multi-part design of the corner support element 5 allows the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5 to be removed to dispose of the trapped liquid without having to remove the base plate assembly 2 connected by the lower portion 50 of the corner support element 5.

[0050] Figure 8 shows the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5 in isolation. In the illustrated embodiment, the corner support element 5 is further configured to support the back irons 37 (see Figure 2) of up to four actuator assemblies 3. For this purpose, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5 is provided with four back iron joints 57. Each back iron joint 57 comprises a U-shaped support surface 570 configured to support the back iron 37 from below, and two opposing parallel vertical force application surfaces 571, 572.

[0051] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the four back irons 37 of the associated actuator assembly 3 (see Figure 2), which are supported by corner support elements 5 and interconnected by the corner support elements 5 for force transmission. Figures 10 and 11 are details of Figure 9.

[0052] As shown in Figure 9, the back irons 37 each have a grid structure with intersecting linear elements 371 and 372. The linear elements 371 and 372 of the back irons 37 of adjacent actuator assemblies 3 are aligned.

[0053] As is best seen in Figures 10 and 11, the free ends of the linear elements 371 and 372 arranged on the sidelines of the grid structure are provided with claws 373 that extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of each linear element 371 and 372. The claws 373 are configured to connect with force-applying surfaces 571 and 572, and two claws 373 of adjacent back irons 37 are received between two opposing force-applying surfaces 571 and 572 of a single back iron joint 57. The claws 373 are positioned between the force-applying surfaces 571 and 572, leaving a small gap between the two claws 373 in the standard configuration.

[0054] When a force acts on a transfer module unit 1, and for example due to thermal contraction or thermal expansion within the modular transfer surface 10, causing one transfer module unit 1 to move away from an adjacent transfer module unit 1, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 10, the coupling between the force application surfaces 571, 572 and the claws 373 received between the force application surfaces 571, 572 causes force transmission to the back irons 37 of the adjacent transfer module unit 1, as schematically shown by the dotted arrows in Figure 10. This force transmission causes a chain effect in the modular transfer surface 10, distributing the relative movement across the transfer surface 10 by pulling on the back irons 37 of the adjacent transfer module unit 1.

[0055] When a force acts on a transfer module unit 1, and for example due to thermal contraction or thermal expansion within the modular transfer surface 10, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 11, the back irons 37 come into contact with each other, thereby causing force transmission to the back irons 37 of the adjacent transfer module unit 1, as schematically shown by the dotted arrows in Figure 11. This force transmission creates a chain effect in the modular transfer surface 10, distributing relative movement across the transfer surface 10 by pushing the back irons 37 of the adjacent transfer module unit 1.

[0056] In embodiments of the present invention, all linear elements 371, 372 of adjacent back irons 37 are spaced apart from each other, and the gap is the same size along the entire length of the back iron 37. As a result, due to the relative movement of the back irons 37 toward each other, all linear elements 371, 372 of adjacent back irons 37 come into contact, at least essentially simultaneously.

[0057] To install the modular transfer surface 10, first, the base plate assembly 2 can be attached to the support strut 12. Next, the lower portion 50 of the corner support element 5 can be attached to the corner region of the base plate assembly 2 by inserting the guide pins 241 of up to four adjacent base plate assemblies 2 of the corner joint into the guide recesses 530 of the base plate assembly joint 53 of the lower portion 50. At the same time, the wedge-shaped ends of the leg portion 531 separate the snap-on elements 25 of the adjacent base plate assemblies 2, and after reaching the final position, the snap-on elements 25 contact the engaging surface 532 of the leg portion 531 for a snap-fit ​​connection. Next, the upper portion 51 can be connected to the lower portion 50 by inserting the lower end of the central body 512 of the upper portion 51 into the recess of the central body 502 of the lower portion 50 and rotating the upper portion 51 to pass the hook element 521 through the eye element 522. Next, the actuator assembly 3 is mounted, and the claws 373 provided in the corner region of the back iron 37 of the actuator assembly 3 are received between the force application surfaces 571 and 572 of the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5. Finally, the drive surface assembly 4 is mounted by inserting the alignment pins 560 of the associated corner support element 5 into the alignment holes 44 provided in the corner region of the drive surface assembly 4, and in the final position, the snap-on elements 420 of the drive surface assembly 4 snap-fit ​​into connection with projections 551 that protrude below the upper surface 55.

[0058] When the drive surface assembly 4 is installed, the upper portion 51 of the corner support element 5 can be moved within limits relative to the lower portion 50 to ensure good alignment of the drive surface assembly 4.

[0059] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, in an alternative installation procedure, the corner support elements 5 may be pre-assembled before being attached to the base plate assembly 2.

[0060] The embodiments shown are merely illustrative, and various modifications in structure and arrangement are possible within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A support element for a modular transport surface having multiple transport module units, wherein each transport module unit comprises a drive surface assembly, The support element comprises a lower portion having a mounting structure and an upper portion having an upper support surface. The upper support surface is configured to support the drive surface assemblies of at least two adjacent transport module units, The upper support surface is provided with a drive surface assembly joint configured to engage with the complementary joint of the supported drive surface assembly. The upper portion is connected longitudinally to the lower portion via a connecting structure. A support element comprising a floating connection structure configured such that, with the lower end of the upper portion resting on the upper surface of the lower portion, relative movement between the lower portion and the upper portion in the longitudinal direction of the support element is suppressed, and limited relative movement between the lower portion and the upper portion in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element is enabled.

2. The support element according to claim 1, wherein the connecting structure comprises a pair of connecting hook elements and eye elements, the hook element and the eye element of the pair of connecting hook elements and eye elements have a contacting cross brace, and the cross brace is configured to allow sliding motion between the hook element and the eye element in at least one direction in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element.

3. The support element according to claim 2, wherein the connection structure comprises three or four pairs of connecting hook elements and eye elements evenly distributed around the outer circumference of the support element.

4. The support element according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the hook element and the eye element each have a cross brace having a flat contact surface.

5. The support element according to claim 4, wherein the cross braces are arranged perpendicular to each other.

6. The support element according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the cross brace of the hook element is provided with a locking claw at its free end.

7. The support element according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the connecting structure comprises four pairs of connecting hook elements and eye elements, and the cross braces of the hook elements are arranged on the four sides of a virtual square and are oriented in a common direction in the circumferential direction of the virtual square.

8. The support element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper portion is provided with a back iron joint configured to connect to the back irons of the actuator assemblies of two adjacent transport module units.

9. The support element according to claim 8, wherein the back iron joint comprises two opposing force-applying surfaces, each force-applying surface being configured to connect to the back iron of one of the actuator assemblies of the two adjacent transport module units, thereby suppressing the relative movement of the adjacent transport module units away from each other, and transmitting force through the back iron and the force-applying surfaces in response to the suppressed relative movement.

10. The support element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper portion is provided with a central cavity for liquid collection.

11. The support element according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the support element is a corner support element, and the support surface is provided with up to three, four, or six drive surface assembly joints configured to engage with complementary joints of the supported drive surface assembly, each having a basic shape of a hexagon, square, or triangle.

12. The support element according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the mounting structure of the lower portion is provided with up to three, four, or six base plate assembly joints configured to engage with complementary joints in the corner regions of base plate assemblies having a basic shape of a hexagon, square, or triangle, respectively.

13. The support element according to claim 12, wherein each base plate assembly joint comprises a guide pin or guide recess configured to engage with a guide recess or guide pin of a base plate assembly, and the mounting structure further comprises a plurality of legs positioned between the guide pins or guide recesses, each leg having an upward engaging surface for snap-fitting connection with complementary snap-on elements of the base plate assemblies of two adjacent transport module units.

14. The support element according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the lower portion has a central body, and the lower end of the central body is configured to press against the base plate assembly joint of the lower portion and the seal of the base plate assembly with which the joint engages.

15. A modular transport surface having a plurality of transport module units, wherein each transport module unit comprises a drive surface assembly and has a support element according to any one of the plurality of claims 1 to 14.

16. A laboratory distribution system having a modular transport surface and a plurality of carriers as described in claim 15, wherein each carrier is configured to transport sample containers and comprises at least one magnetic operating element, preferably at least one permanent magnet.

17. The laboratory distribution system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one magnetic operating element is at least one permanent magnet.

18. A laboratory automation system having a laboratory distribution system according to claim 16 or 17, comprising a plurality of pre-analysis stations, analysis stations and / or post-analysis stations.

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