Centrifuge and centrifuge rotor

Abstract

An RF tag 47 provided on a rotor 20 is prevented from being destroyed by centrifugal force by maintaining a non-rotating state during centrifugation. In this centrifuge, in which the rotor 20 is mounted on a rotary shaft 8a of a motor, an RFID adapter 40 is provided on the lower side of a rotor body 21. The RFID adapter 40 is constituted of a cylindrical freely rotatable member 41 capable of rotating independently of the rotor, and a holding member 51 for holding the freely rotatable member 41 to prevent detachment thereof from the rotor 20 in freely rotating state. When the rotor 20 is rotating, the freely rotatable member 41 is placed on a rotation prevention member 60 and allowed to float. The freely rotatable member 41 is provided with an RF tag 47, and the rotation prevention member 60 is provided with an RF antenna 67, whereby information can be read from and written to the RF tag 47.

Description

Centrifuge and rotor for centrifuge

[0001] The present invention relates to a centrifuge that rotates a rotor, and more particularly to enabling high-speed rotation of a rotor equipped with an information processing medium such as an RF tag.

[0002] A centrifuge separates samples by rotating a rotor containing the sample at high speed. Various rotor shapes can be used, such as angle rotors and swing rotors, and the size of the rotor varies depending on the size of the container holding the sample. The user inputs operating conditions such as rotor rotation speed, operating time (centrifugation time), holding temperature (rotor holding temperature), acceleration gradient, and deceleration gradient from the control panel, according to the sample to be separated. Centrifuge rotors often have a specified maximum allowable rotation speed and a lifespan based on the number of uses or cumulative usage time. Therefore, managing the set rotation speed during centrifugation (not operating at a speed exceeding the maximum allowable rotation speed) and managing the rotor's lifespan are important. Rotor lifespan management is done by the user recording lifespan data (operation history data), such as operating time and number of uses, in the rotor operation log or control device after the centrifuge operation is completed.

[0003] In centrifuges where the rotor can be arbitrarily replaced, a rotor identifier (e.g., rotor model, maximum allowable rotational speed) is recorded on a part of the rotor. In primitive systems, multiple grids are defined in the circumferential direction of the bottom surface, and by combining the arrangement of magnets with and without them, it is possible to read out about 7 bytes of information. However, with this method, data cannot be read until the rotor starts operating. In the centrifuge described in Patent Document 1, a cylindrical data holder (magnetic recording medium) is provided at the bottom of the rotor, and a magnetic head is provided near the outer circumference of the data holder. By reading and writing data using the magnetic head when the rotor is rotating at an extremely low speed, the type of rotor can be identified, and the maximum allowable rotational speed and allowable cumulative operating time can be managed.

[0004] In the centrifuge described in reference 2, an RF tag is attached to the upper end of the fixing knob on the rotor cover, and a reading device installed on the door reads the information recorded on the RF tag from the stationary rotor.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-166248 Special Publication No. 9-503162

[0006] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, since the magnetic recording medium is mounted on the rotor, the magnetic head must be brought in close proximity to the magnetic recording medium mounted on the rotor while reading. Also, because a magnetic recording medium is used, it is difficult to significantly increase the storage capacity. In the technology described in Patent Document 2, the RF tag attached to the rotor is exposed to high-speed rotation. Therefore, even if the RF tag is attached to a fixing knob near the rotor's center of rotation, it will be continuously exposed to extremely large centrifugal loads over a long period of time, increasing the risk of RF tag failure.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and its purpose is to realize a centrifuge rotor and a centrifuge using the same, which are equipped with an RF tag on the rotor and are structured so that the RF tag remains in a non-rotating state even during centrifugal separation operation. Another purpose of the present invention is to realize a centrifuge rotor and a centrifuge using the same, which enable highly accurate rotor life management without management omissions by holding the RF tag attached to the rotor in a substantially indestructible manner, and which also enables the management of various information related to the rotor.

[0008] The following describes some of the representative features of the invention disclosed in this application. According to one feature of the present invention, in a centrifuge having a drive device such as a motor, a rotor mounted on the rotating shaft of the drive device, a rotor chamber housing the rotor, a door closing the opening of the rotor chamber, and a control device for controlling the rotation of the drive device, an RF tag is mounted on the rotor for the purpose of identifying the rotor or recording information such as operating history on the rotor. The control device of the centrifuge reads the information recorded on the RF tag, and is also capable of updating and writing information. The RF tag is held in a state that it cannot be attached to or detached from the rotor, and is configured so that the RF tag does not rotate when the rotor rotates. Specifically, the rotor has a rotor body and a cylindrical mounting part that extends below the rotor body and is attached to the rotating shaft. In the present invention, the outer edge of the rotor is provided with a free-rotating member that can rotate freely relative to the rotor, a holding member that holds the free-rotating member in a state that it can rotate freely and cannot be detached from the rotor, and a non-rotating rotation-preventing member that holds the free-rotating member so that it does not rotate when the rotor rotates. When the rotor is mounted on the centrifuge, the free-rotating component is fixed onto the rotation-stopping component. By providing an RF tag on the free-rotating component and an RF antenna on the rotation-stopping component side, it is possible to read and write information from the control device to the RF tag using proximity wireless communication technology while the rotor is mounted on the rotating shaft.

[0009] According to another feature of the present invention, the retaining member is cylindrical and has a flange portion extending inward from a lower opening. The free-spinning member is cylindrical and has an outer diameter portion larger than the inner diameter of the flange portion of the retaining member, and is held on the underside of the rotor body (underside of the cylindrical portion) and inside the retaining member, as viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, so as to be slightly movable in the rotation axis direction within the internal space of the retaining member. When the rotor rotates with the free-spinning member held in place, the free-spinning member is maintained in a state where it does not come into contact with the retaining member or the rotor body.

[0010] According to yet another feature of the present invention, the inner diameter of the portion of the retaining member excluding the flange portion is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the free-spinning member, and the height of the free-spinning member is smaller than the height of the retaining member. When the rotor is mounted on the rotating shaft, the free-spinning member is placed on the rotation-blocking member, so that the flange portion of the retaining member and the free-spinning member are kept in a non-contact state in the direction of the rotation axis and radially, and the rotor and retaining member are rotated at high speed by the drive device while in this non-contact state. When the rotor is removed from the rotating shaft and lifted, the free-spinning member moves axially downward and comes into contact with the flange portion of the retaining member, thereby maintaining a state in which the free-spinning member cannot be separated from the rotor. The rotation-blocking member is preferably a disc-shaped base provided around the rotating shaft, and an antenna portion for communicating with the RF tag is provided on the upper surface of the base.

[0011] According to yet another feature of the present invention, the RF tag may also be configured to be mounted above the rotor body. If a rotor cover is provided to cover the upper opening of the rotor, the RF tag may be provided on the grip portion of the rotor cover. The rotor cover has a disc-shaped lid portion and a handle provided in the center of the lid portion, and functions as a retaining member by forming a bottomed cylindrical groove along the axis from the upper surface of the handle. A free-rotating member is also provided inside the cylindrical groove to house the RF tag via a bearing. A rotation-preventing member that engages with the free-rotating member is provided on the bottom surface of the door at a position coinciding with the axis of the rotor cover. The bearing has an outer ring and an inner ring, and a plurality of rolling elements arranged between the outer ring and the inner ring. The free-rotating member includes a cylindrical socket made of a non-conductive material, the socket is fixed inside the inner ring, and a rotation-preventing portion is formed on the upper surface of the socket. When the door is closed, a part of the rotation-preventing member engages with the rotation-preventing portion, so that the rotor rotates while the free-rotating member remains in a non-rotating state.

[0012] According to the present invention, the RF tag provided on the rotor is attached in a manner that prevents it from being detached from the rotor body or lid. When the rotor is mounted on the centrifuge body, the portion on which the RF tag is mounted is always kept in a non-rotating state, so that no centrifugal load is applied to the RF tag. Furthermore, when the RF tag is provided at the lower end of the rotor, the free-rotating member on which the RF tag is mounted is kept in a non-contact state with the holding member fixed to the rotor body and the rotor body, so that it does not adversely affect the rotation of the rotor body. Moreover, in addition to IC chip-shaped RF tags that only allow reading and writing of information via wireless communication, it is also possible to mount RF tags using microcontrollers with advanced computing functions and large-capacity storage devices on the rotor.

[0013] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a centrifuge 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a rotor 20 that can be attached to the centrifuge 1 in Figure 1. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state when the rotor 20 in Figure 1 is removed from the rotating shaft 8a. This is a top view of the free-spinning member 41 in Figure 2. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the free-spinning member 41 in Figure 2. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the holding member 51 in Figure 2. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotation-blocking member 60 in Figure 2. This is a vertical cross-sectional view of a rotor 20A according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a top view of the free-spinning member 71 in Figure 4. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the B-B section of the free-spinning member 71 shown in Figure 5A. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the holding member 81 in Figure 4. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotation-blocking member 90 in Figure 4. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a centrifuge 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotor 120 in Figure 6. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotor 120 in Figure 6 at a different cross-sectional position. This is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the structure of the rotation-blocking member 160 and the RFID adapter 140 in Figure 6. This is a top view of the handle 135 in Figure 8A. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of section E-E in Figure 8B. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the socket 141 alone in Figure 9A. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (partial view) of section F-F in Figure 8B. This is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rotor 220 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the RFID adapter 140 in Figure 10. This is a partially enlarged view of another cross-sectional position near the RFID adapter 140 in Figure 10.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following figures, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, in this specification, the directions of up, down, left, and right are as shown in the figures.

[0015] Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the centrifuge 1 according to the present invention. The centrifuge 1 has a housing (frame) 2 having a rectangular cross-sectional shape when viewed from above, and a bowl 3 installed inside the housing 2. The bowl 3 and a door 6 define the rotor chamber 4. An opening 5 formed in the upper part of the rotor chamber 4 is opened or closed by a sliding door 6. A partition plate 2a extending horizontally is provided near the vertical center of the housing 2. The bowl 3 is provided in the space above the partition plate 2a.

[0016] The rotor 20 holds the sample to be separated and rotates at high speed. For example, it has a rotor body 21 with multiple holding holes (not shown) for inserting a sampling tube or the like, and is a so-called "angle rotor." The rotor 20 is supported by the rotation shaft 8a of the motor 8. The shape of the rotor 20 to which the present invention is applied is arbitrary, and it may be not only a so-called "angle rotor," but also a so-called "swing rotor" that holds the sample container so that it can swing freely in the centrifugal direction (radial direction), or any other known rotor. An opening (not shown) is provided at the top of the rotor body 21. This opening may be left open during centrifugation, or the centrifugation operation may be performed with the rotor cover 130 (see Figure 6), which will be described later, attached.

[0017] A motor 8 having a rotating shaft 8a is installed on the underside of the bowl 3, and the rotor 20 is mounted on a crown 9 provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 8a. The motor 8 is fixed to a partition plate 2a. A steel protector 14 consisting of a cylindrical tube 14a, an underplate 14b, and an upper plate 14c is provided on top of the partition plate 2a. The rotating shaft 8a extends upward so as to pass through through holes formed in the bottom surface of the bowl 3 and the underplate 14b. The motor 8, which serves as the drive device, is, for example, a brushless motor, and its rotation is controlled by a control device 12. The control device 12 includes a wireless communication unit 13 for wireless communication using an RF antenna. The position in which the wireless communication unit 13 is provided is arbitrary, and it may be provided on the rotation-blocking member 60 (see Figure 2A described later).

[0018] A fitting hole 25 is formed in the lower part of the rotor 20 into which the crown 9 is fitted. Rotor pins (not shown) are attached to the fitting hole 25, protruding from its bottom surface, and crown pins (not shown) are attached to the crown 9, which contact the rotor pins. In this way, rotational torque is transmitted from the rotating shaft 8a to the rotor 20 by the crown pins. The connection structure between the rotor 20 and the rotating shaft 8a is arbitrary, and it is preferable to use a known crown 9.

[0019] An insulating material (insulating layer) 16 (not shown) is provided on the outer surface of the bowl 3, between the bowl 3 and the protector 14, and a copper pipe (not shown) is spirally wound around the bowl 3 inside it. The copper pipe is connected to a compressor-type cooling device (not shown). The internal temperature of the rotor chamber 4 is controlled by a control device 12 using the output of a temperature sensor 7 installed in the rotor chamber 4, and is kept constant at a set desired temperature. The present invention can be broadly applied to a centrifuge 1 using a detachable rotor 20, regardless of whether or not there is a cooling device or a vacuum pump or other depressurization device.

[0020] Multiple legs 11 are provided on the underside of the housing 2, and the centrifuge 1 is placed on the floor or the like. The door 6 can be slid in the front-rear direction by operating the lever 6a while the rotor 20 is stopped rotating. When moved to the rear, the opening 5 is opened, allowing the rotor 20 to be installed into the rotor chamber 4 or removed from the rotor chamber 4. In this invention, the type and structure of the door 6 are arbitrary, and an openable and closable door may be used in which the front or one side can swing up and down around a hinge (not shown) provided on the housing as an axis.

[0021] An operation panel 10 is installed on the upper rear side of the door 6, where the user inputs conditions such as the rotation speed and separation time of the rotor 20, and displays various information. The operation panel 10 is composed of, for example, a combination of a liquid crystal display device and operation buttons, or a touch-type liquid crystal panel, and serves as both an input device and an information display device. The operation panel 10 is not limited to a liquid crystal panel, but may be implemented with other combinations of display and input means. In addition, the centrifuge 1 is equipped with an acoustic device such as a speaker (not shown), which can output operation sounds from the operation panel 10, warning sounds, etc., under the control of the control device 12.

[0022] Figure 2A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a rotor 20 that can be mounted on a centrifuge 1. Here, the rotor 20 is shown in a state where it can be set on the centrifuge 1 and centrifugal separation is possible, and in a state during centrifugal separation. The rotor 20 is formed of a rotor body 21 made of metal parts and an RFID adapter 40 attached to the lower part of the rotor body 21. The rotor body 21 is formed including a part that houses a sample container, etc. (main body 21a) and a cylindrical part (mounting part 21b) that extends downward from the main body 21a. In this embodiment, the internal shape of the main body 21a of the rotor body 21 is arbitrary, so its illustration is omitted and it is shown with hatching lines. A fitting hole 25 is formed on the radially inner side of the mounting part 21b, with the upper side closed. The fitting hole 25 is shaped to fit the crown 9 provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 8a of the motor 8 (see Figure 1). A flange 23 extending radially outward is formed at the lower end of the mounting part 21b.

[0023] The periphery of the rotating shaft 8a is covered by a shaft case 15, which is installed so as to be in contact with the underplate 14b. In other words, the shaft case 15 is a non-rotating part, and a rotation-preventing member 60 is fixed to its outer circumferential surface. The rotation-preventing member 60 is a component fixed to the non-rotating part on the main body side of the centrifuge 1, and when the rotor 20 is installed, it maintains a state in which the free-spinning member 41, which is a non-rotating part, is slightly lifted relative to the rotor body 21 by placing the free-spinning member 41 on top of it. The free-spinning member 41 and the holding member 51 are components newly added to the conventional centrifuge rotor for the realization of this embodiment. The free-spinning member 41 is not fixed to the rotor body 21. The holding member 51 is a member that holds the free-spinning member 41 so as not to separate from the rotor body 21. In this case, even during centrifugal separation operation when the rotor 20 is rotating, the inner diameter of the retaining member 51 is made larger than the outer diameter of the free-spinning member 41, and a necessary radial gap (for example, several mm) is secured between the free-spinning member 41 and the retaining member 51 so that the free-spinning member 41 can be kept stationary. In addition, when the rotor 20 is mounted, a gap of several mm in the vertical direction is secured between the upper surface of the free-spinning member 41 and the lower surface of the rotor body 21. In the first embodiment, the free-spinning member 41 is positioned inside the retaining member 51, which is fixed to the rotor body 21 and rotates together with the rotor 20.

[0024] Figure 2B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state in which the rotor 20 is moved upward from the state shown in Figure 2A, that is, in the process of being removed from the centrifuge 1. When the rotor body 21 is lifted upward as shown by arrow 26, the retaining member 51, which is fixed to the lower end of the mounting portion 21b of the rotor body 21 with screws or the like, is also pulled upward. Since the free-spinning member 41 is not fixed to either the rotor body 21 or the retaining member 51, it moves relative to the free-spinning member 41 downward as shown by arrow 17. However, even when it moves relative to the free-spinning member 41, the stepped surface 43a of the free-spinning member 41 comes into contact with the stepped surface 54a of the retaining member 51, so that the free-spinning member 41 does not fall downward from the retaining member 51 and the state in which it cannot be removed from the rotor 20 is maintained. Furthermore, when the rotor 20 is set on the rotation shaft 8a from the state shown in Figure 2B, the lower surface of the free-spinning member 41 is supported by a member (rotation-blocking member 60) that has a base function and a rotation-blocking function and is fixed to the centrifuge 1 main body. As a result, the free-spinning member 41 moves relatively upward relative to the holding member 51, resulting in the state shown in Figure 2A, where the free-spinning member 41 and the rotor body 21 are not in contact. Also, when the removed rotor 20 is placed on a table or the like, the free-spinning member 41 moves relatively upward relative to the holding member 51 when it is placed on the table, so the weight of the rotor body 21 is supported by the bottom surface of the holding member 51.

[0025] Figure 3A is a top view of the free-rotating member 41, which constitutes part of the RFID adapter 40. The free-rotating member 41 is a part that does not rotate during centrifugal separation. In other words, the free-rotating member 41 is not fixed to the rotor body 21 and maintains a non-contact state with respect to the rotor body 21, so it is in a state where it can rotate relative to the rotor body 21. The external shape of the free-rotating member 41 is formed to be rotationally symmetric about the rotation axis A1. A housing portion 46 that penetrates vertically is formed at any point in the circumferential direction of the free-rotating member 41. The housing portion is a rectangular parallelepiped cutout, and the RF tag 47 is fixed inside it.

[0026] Figure 3B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the free-spinning member 41, and the cross-sectional position is at section A-A in Figure 3A. The upper surface 42 of the free-spinning member 41 is formed as an annular plane, and the lower surface 45 is also an annular plane. The outer diameter of the free-spinning member 41 is D ６ The inner diameter is D ５The outer circumferential surface 43 has a stepped surface 43a formed slightly below the center in the vertical direction, such that the radial direction narrows inward. A narrow-diameter surface 43b is formed downward from the inner circumferential end of the stepped surface 43a. The narrow-diameter surface 43b has the same outer diameter from top (stepped surface 43a) to bottom. However, the narrow-diameter surface 43b may be formed in a tapered shape, with the diameter slightly increasing from top to bottom. A slight tapered surface 44a is formed on the lower edge of the through hole 44 to guide the placement position of the free-rotating member 41 so that it is concentric with the rotation axis A1. An RF tag 47 is fixed inside the housing portion 46 that penetrates the free-rotating member 41 from top to bottom. The RF tag 47 can be, for example, a commercially available RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology product such as an IC tag or RF tag. It is preferable to use an integrated unit arranged in a ceramic or resin package as the RF tag 47. The shape of the RF tag 47 is arbitrary, and the RF tag 47 is fixed inside the housing section 46 with adhesive or the like. The method of fixing the RF tag 47 inside the housing section 46 is arbitrary, so fitting or other known fixing methods may be used. Since the free-spinning member 41 does not rotate when the rotor body 21 rotates, the RF tag 47 may be fixed at any position in the circumferential direction of the free-spinning member 41 without considering the effect on the rotational balance of the rotor 20.

[0027] The housing portion 46 may be formed by a non-through hole, such as a recess, formed on the upper, outer, or inner surface of the free-rotating member 41. In other words, the fixing position and method of the RF tag 47 to the free-rotating member 41 are arbitrary, as long as the RF tag 47 can be stably fixed to the free-rotating member 41. Alternatively, the free-rotating member 41 may be configured integrally with the tag portion so that it functions as a single RF tag.

[0028] The RF tag 47 includes an IC chip (not shown) that functions as a readable and writable storage medium, and an antenna device (not shown) for communicating with an external device using radio waves. By using RFID technology in this way, the control device 12 (see FIG. 1) can easily read and write the information recorded in the RF tag 47. The radio waves from the RF tag 47 are transmitted and received by the wireless communication unit 13 via the RF antenna 67 (see FIGS. 2 and 3D) provided on the rotation prevention member 60. The data acquired by the wireless communication unit 13 is processed by a processor (not shown) within the control device 12. Thus, since a substantially non-detachable RF tag 47 is provided on each of the rotors 20, the control device 12 can manage the operation history of the rotors 20 with high precision.

[0029] FIG. 3C is a longitudinal sectional view of the holding member 51 that forms part of the RFID adapter 40. The holding member 51 is a member fixed to the rotor body 21 with a screw or the like and rotates synchronously when the rotor body 21 rotates. The inner peripheral surface 54 of the holding member 51 has a constant diameter D except in the vicinity of the lower end. ４ A stepped surface 54a is formed in the vicinity of the lower end to hold the idler member 41 so that it does not fall downward. Below the stepped surface 54a, a flange portion 54b extending to the inner side is formed, and its inner diameter is D. ３ is (D ４ > D ３ ).

[0030] The flange portion 54b is formed to hold the free-spinning member 41 to the rotor 20 in a state that is "substantially indestructible". For example, although not shown in Figure 3C, the holding member 51 has multiple screw holes formed so as to penetrate from the lower surface 55 to the upper surface 52 of the holding member 51, and the holding member 51 is firmly screwed to the bottom surface of the mounting portion 2b of the rotor body 21 using screws (not shown). Note that the method of fixing the holding member 51 to the rotor body 21 is not limited to screwing and other methods may be used, but since the rotor 20 rotates at an extremely high rotational speed, the centrifugal acceleration applied to the holding member 51 is also large, so it is preferable to use a strong fixing method that can withstand that load. Here, "substantially indestructible" means that the free-spinning member 41 is not separated from the rotor body 21 during normal centrifugal separation operations by the user, or during daily operations such as moving, cleaning, and storage. Therefore, this does not exclude the possibility of the manufacturer separating the holding member 51 from the rotor body 21 using tools during maintenance work. A tapered surface 54c is formed on the lower side of the flange portion 54b.

[0031] Figure 3D is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotation-retaining member 60. The rotation-retaining member 60 is fixed to the non-rotating part (fixed part) on the main body side of the centrifuge 1, and in this case it is fixed to the shaft case 15 (see Figure 2). The lower surface 65 of the rotation-retaining member 60 is an annular plane, and its diameter is D ２On the other hand, the upper surface 62 (62a to 62c) is shaped to be suitable for placing the idler member 41 thereon. The upper surface has two levels of height, that is, an annular high step surface 62a and a low step surface 62c are formed, and they are connected by a conical surface 62b therebetween. The conical surface 62b is formed to guide the axial alignment so that the central positions (rotation axis A1) coincide when the idler member 41 is placed. An annular groove portion 66 for accommodating the RF antenna 67 is formed inside the low step surface 62c. The outer edge portion of the low step surface 62c is connected to the cylindrical surface 63, and the connection portion (corner) forms a conical surface 62d, so-called chamfering. By opposing this conical surface 62d to the tapered surface 54c formed on the holding member 51, a non-contact state during the rotation of the holding member 51 can be maintained. Incidentally, the tapered surface 54c and the conical surface 62d may be formed in other shapes, or their formation may be omitted.

[0032] As described above, when the rotor 20 of the present embodiment is set on the rotation shaft 8a, the rotor body 21 and the idler member 41 are in a non-contact state. These non-contact states are maintained even when the rotor 20 rotates. That is, since the idler member 41 does not rotate even when the rotor 20 rotates, the RF tag 47 provided on the holding member 51 is not affected by an extremely large centrifugal load generated when the rotor 20 rotates at high speed. Therefore, the risk of the RF tag 47 being damaged by the centrifugal load can be eliminated. Further, by providing the RF tag 47 on the cylindrical idler member 41, the idler member 41 does not cause an imbalance during the rotation of the rotor 20, so there is no risk of deterioration of the rotation accuracy of the rotor 20. Furthermore, the height H of the idler member 41 in the vertical direction ２ (see FIG. 3B) is the height H of the holding member 51 １By forming it smaller than (see FIG. 3C), when the rotor 20 is placed on a table, the load of the rotor body 21 does not act on the idle rotation member 41. Therefore, the strength limitation of the idle rotation member 41 is relaxed, and the idle rotation member 41 can be manufactured with a less expensive material and manufacturing method than the rotor body 21. For example, the idle rotation member 41 can also be manufactured by resin molding or the like. When the rotor 20 is set in the centrifuge 1, the distance between the RF tag 47 and the RF antenna 67 for the RFID reader / writer provided on the rotation prevention member 60 becomes sufficiently small, so that good wireless communication can be realized.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a rotor 20A according to a modification of the first embodiment. The rotor 20A of this modification is formed by a rotor body 21 formed of a metal part and an RFID adapter 70 attached to the lower part of the rotor body 21. The RFID adapter 70 is composed of a cylindrical idle rotation member 71 and a holding member 81 that rotates together with the rotor body 21 on the inner peripheral side of the idle rotation member. Thus, it is the same as the first embodiment in that the RFID adapter 70 is provided on the lower surface of the rotor body 21, but the holding member 81 fixed to the rotor body 21 is on the inner peripheral side, and the idle rotation member 71 is arranged on the outer peripheral side. This modification is a particularly effective shape when the size of the rotor body 21 is relatively small.

[0034] Before describing the details of the rotor 20A shown in Figure 4, the structure of the RFID adapter 70 and the rotation-blocking member 90 will be explained using Figures 5A to 5D. Figure 5A is a top view of the free-rotating member 71. The free-rotating member 71 is a member configured to maintain a stationary state relative to the rotor body 21 which is rotated by centrifugal separation. The free-rotating member 71 has a cylindrical portion (the portion having an upper surface 72) that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis A1, with an extended portion 78 that protrudes to one side in the radial direction. The extended portion 78 is located radially outside the dashed line indicating the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion, and a housing portion 76 that penetrates vertically is formed inside the extended portion 78. The RF tag 77 is fixed inside the roughly rectangular housing portion 76. It is also possible to have a free-rotating member 71 that is only a cylindrical member without the extended portion 78, and to have the housing portion 76 provided in that member. In this modified example, when the free-rotating member 71 is formed on the outer circumference of the holding member 81, the shape of the free-rotating member 71, particularly the shape of its outer edge, can be set relatively freely. For example, in the rotor 20A of this modified example, it is possible to provide multiple RF tags 77 or to mount a microcontroller function on the free-rotating member 71.

[0035] Figure 5B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the free-rotating member 71 shown in Figure 5A, taken along line B-B. The upper surface 72 of the free-rotating member 71 is shaped as if an annular plane is connected to the plane of the extended portion 78, and the lower surface 75 is shaped as if an annular bottom surface is connected to the bottom surface of the extended portion 78. The outer circumferential surface 73 of the free-rotating member 71 consists of the side surface of the cylindrical portion and the side surface of the extended portion 78, and is formed by a cylindrical surface and a plane. The inner circumferential surface 74 has the same diameter D １１ A cylindrical surface, the majority of which extends from its upper end to a diameter D １２ Although it has a uniform outer diameter, a stepped portion 74a and an intermediate diameter portion 74b are formed near the lower end. The intermediate diameter portion 74b has a diameter D １０ It has a uniform outer shape (D １０ >D １１ ). Furthermore, the diameter D １０ The diameter of this portion may be further increased. The stepped portion 74a is the part that comes into contact with the upper surface of the flange portion 83a of the retaining member 81 (see Figure 5C described later) when the rotor body 21 is removed upward from the crown 9.

[0036] A conical surface 74c is formed further downward from the lower end of the middle diameter portion 74b, such that the outer diameter increases as it goes downward. The inner circumferential surface 74 of the free-spinning member 71 is positioned between the flange portion 83a and the rotor body 21 in the direction of the rotation axis A1, and is held on the outer circumference of the holding member in a state where it can move slightly in the direction of the rotation axis. Therefore, the height H of the free-spinning member 71 ４ The height H of the holding member 81 ３ It is formed to be lower than (see Figure 5C described later). In this way, the free-spinning member 71 is held by the rotation-restricting member 90 on the lower side of the rotor body 21 and radially outward of the holding member 81 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A1. The conical surface 74c engages with the conical surface 92a of the guide projection 92 of the rotation-restricting member 90 (see Figure 5D described later), which guides the central axis of the free-spinning member 71 so that it easily coincides with the rotation axis A1 of the rotor 20.

[0037] The RF tag 77 is housed in the housing portion 76 of the extended portion 78 of the free-rotating member 71. The housing portion 76 should be appropriately sized to accommodate the RF tag 77. The housing portion 76 may be formed as a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction, or as a recess that is recessed inward from the upper surface, bottom surface, or outer peripheral surface of the extended portion 78. In this case, it is desirable that the position of the housing portion 76 does not interfere with the positions of the middle diameter portion 74b and the conical surface 74c. In addition, the amount and shape of the radially outward extension of the extended portion 78 are appropriately set according to the size of the housing portion 76. As can be seen from Figures 5A and 5B, the size of the housing portion 76 and the RF tag 77 is considerably larger than the housing portion 46 and RF tag 47 shown in Figures 3A to 3D.

[0038] Figure 5C is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the retaining member 81. The retaining member 81 has an outer diameter D ９ It is formed by an outer circumferential surface 83 based on a cylindrical shape and a flange portion 83a that is below the outer circumferential surface 83 and extends outward from the lower opening. The outer diameter of the flange portion 83a is D ８ (D ８ >D ９The upper surface 82 and the lower surface 85 are formed as annular planes. The outer circumferential surface 83 is of a constant size except for the flange portion 83a located at the lower end. The inner circumferential surface 84 is a cylindrical surface with the same diameter from the upper end to the lower end. The flange portion 83a is a projection formed to hold the free-rotating member 71 in a state that is substantially indestructible from the rotor 20, and the upper surface of the flange portion 83a contacts the stepped portion 74a of the free-rotating member 71.

[0039] Figure 5D is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotation-retaining member 90. The rotation-retaining member 90 is a substantially disc-shaped plate and is fixed to the non-rotating part (fixed part) on the centrifuge 1 side, and in this case it is fixed to the shaft case 15. The lower surface 95 of the rotation-retaining member 90 is a disc-shaped plane with an opening 94 in the center. On the other hand, the high step surface 91a and the low step surface 91b are flat annular surfaces, and guide projections 92 for positioning the free-spinning member 71 concentrically with the rotation axis A1 are continuously formed in the circumferential direction on the inside of the high step surface 91a. The inner diameter of the guide projections 92 is D ７ The diameter D of the flange portion 83a of the retaining member 81 ８ (See Figure 5C) is formed to be larger than (D ８ <D ７ The upper surface of the guide projection 92 is formed as a narrow annular surface, and a conical surface 92a is formed from the outer edge of the annular surface in a diagonally downward direction.

[0040] A groove 96 for housing an RF antenna 97 is formed from the top surface on the radially outer stepped surface 91a of the guide projection 92 of the rotation-preventing member 90. The inside of the groove 96 is formed to extend in the circumferential direction, and a circular RF antenna 97 is positioned therein when viewed from above. By forming the RF antenna 97 in an annular shape in this way, wireless communication with the RF tag 77 becomes possible even if the extended portion 78 is placed on the rotation-preventing member 90 at an arbitrary circumferential position when the rotor 20 is mounted. The shape of the RF antenna 97 is arbitrary and may be placed on a part of the circumferential direction. Furthermore, in order to further stably fix the free-spinning member 71 which is placed on the upper side of the rotation-preventing member 90, magnets may be placed on each contact surface, or it may be formed by a magnet on one contact surface and a magnetic metal portion on the other contact surface.

[0041] When the rotor 20 is mounted on the rotating shaft 8a, the free-spinning member 71 is placed on the rotation-restricting member 90. The rotation-restricting member 90 is fixed to the shaft case 15 at a position where it is separated from the closest part of the holding member 81 by a gap of several millimeters. When the rotor 20 rotates, the holding member 81 maintains a non-contact state with the free-spinning member 71 with a gap of several millimeters in the radial direction. Furthermore, since the rotation-restricting member 90 holds the free-spinning member 71 in a position slightly elevated from the holding member 81, a gap of several millimeters in the vertical direction can also be secured between the upper part of the free-spinning member 71 and the rotor body 21. In this way, the free-spinning member 71 is reliably maintained in a non-contact state with the rotating parts (rotor body 21, holding member 81).

[0042] In this modified example, when the rotor 20 is moved upward to remove it from the rotation shaft 8a, the retaining member 81 is pulled upward together with the rotor body 21. As a result, the flange portion 83a of the retaining member 81 comes into contact with the stepped portion 74a of the free-spinning member 71, preventing the free-spinning member 71 from falling downward from the retaining member 81. In this way, although the free-spinning member 71 is not fixed to either the rotor body 21 or the retaining member 81, it is possible to prevent it from detaching from the rotor body 21. The method of fixing the retaining member 81 to the rotor body 21 is arbitrary; for example, it can be fixed by multiple bolts that form a circular seat from bottom to top in the direction of the rotation axis A1 (not shown).

[0043] According to this modified version, there are fewer dimensional constraints on the extended portion 78 of the free-rotating member 71, thus expanding the range of RF tags 77 that can be incorporated. For example, a larger RF tag 77 can be used, resulting in increased recording capacity and the ability to use a larger antenna built into the RF tag 77, which is expected to improve communication stability. Furthermore, since the outer shape of the free-rotating member 71 can be set relatively freely, it is not limited to providing a protruding part such as the extended portion 78; the entire structure may be rotationally symmetrical, eliminating the need for an extended portion 78.

[0044] As described above, according to the first embodiment, rotors 20 and 20A have a structure such that the RF tags 47 and 77 attached to the rotor, or the components housing the tags (free-rotating members 41 and 71), do not rotate while the rotor 20 is rotating. With this structure, centrifugal force is not applied to the RF tags 47 and 77 even when the rotor body 21 is rotating, thus eliminating the risk of damage to the RF tags 47 and 77 due to centrifugal load. Furthermore, once the rotor 20 is set in the centrifuge body 1, the free-rotating members 41 and 71 are not in contact with the holding members 51 and 81 as well as the rotor body 21, so the rotor body 21 can rotate at high speed without being affected by the free-rotating members 41 and 71.

[0045] The free-rotating members 41 and 71 are designed in such a way that they cannot be easily removed from the rotor 20, thus preventing the rotor 20 from being mistaken for the RF tags 47 and 77, and completely preventing misidentification of the rotor 20. Furthermore, when the rotor 20 is placed on a table or the like, the holding members 51 and 81 bear the load (gravity) of the rotor 20, so the free-rotating members 41 and 71 are not affected by the rotor 20's own weight (gravity). This structure eliminates the need for the free-rotating members 41 and 71 themselves to have high rigidity and strength, thus avoiding an excessive increase in the manufacturing cost of the rotors 20 and 20A.

[0046] Next, a centrifuge 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 6 to 9C. As shown in Figures 1 to 5D, in the rotor 20 for the centrifuge of the first embodiment, RFID adapters 40 and 70 are provided on the bottom side of the rotor 20 which rotates at high speed, but in the second embodiment, the RFID adapter is attached to the upper side of the rotor 120. Here, "upper side of the rotor" refers to, for example, a part of the rotor cover 130 attached to the rotor 120 (for example, the handle 135), or the part of the rotor body 121 that is exposed on the upper side. In addition, the term "rotor" as used herein often refers to the set of the rotor body 21 and the wireless communication unit (40 or 70) shown in the first embodiment, but the set which also includes the rotor cover 130 shown in the second embodiment may also be simply referred to as "rotor".

[0047] Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the centrifuge 101 according to the present invention. The basic structure of the centrifuge 101 is the same as in the first embodiment. The centrifuge 101 consists of a rotor chamber 104 that houses the rotor 120, a door 106 that closes the opening 105 of the rotor chamber 104, a motor (drive device) 108, a crown 109 attached to the rotation shaft 108a of the motor 108, and a rotor 120 mounted on the crown 109. The rotation of the motor 108 is controlled by a control device 112. The function of the control device 112 is the same as that of the centrifuge 1 shown in Figure 1, and the output of the RF tag 148 (described later in Figure 7A) received by the RF antenna 167 (described later in Figure 9A) is input to the wireless communication unit 113. The shape of the door 106 is arbitrary, but a rotating door that opens and closes by moving up and down is preferred because the door 106 is equipped with an RF antenna 167 (described later in Figure 9A) and a rotation-preventing member 160. An operation panel 110 is provided on or near the top surface of the door 106. An insulating material 114 is provided on the outside of the rotor chamber 104. Although not shown in Figure 6, the centrifuge 101 may also be equipped with a cooling device to cool the rotor chamber 104 and a vacuum pump to reduce the pressure in the rotor chamber 104.

[0048] The rotor 120 holds the sample to be separated and rotates at high speed; it is a so-called angle rotor. The opening at the top of the rotor 120 is closed by the rotor cover 130. The rotor cover 130 can be attached or removed by the user by rotating the handle 135, and during centrifugal separation, the rotor 120 is rotated with the rotor cover 130 attached. An RFID adapter 140 is provided on the upper part of the rotor 120. Here, the RFID adapter 140 is attached to the upper side of the rotor body 121, in this case to the handle 135 which is part of the rotor cover 130. An RF tag 148 (described later in Figure 7A) is provided inside the RFID adapter 140.

[0049] Figure 7A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotor 120 of Figure 6, with a portion shown in a side view. The rotor 120 has a rotor body 121 and a rotor cover 130 that is detachably provided on the upper part thereof. The rotor body 121 has the same shape as a conventional rotor and has a main body portion 121a and a mounting portion 121b. The rotor cover 130 is formed by a disc-shaped lid portion 131, a shaft 137 that is installed so as to pass through a through hole 131a formed in the center of the disc-shaped lid portion 131, and a handle 135 fixed to the shaft 137. The shaft 137 is held by the lid portion 131 in a state in which it can rotate relative to the lid portion 131, and in a state in which it cannot come off the lid portion 131.

[0050] The main body portion 121a of the rotor body 121 has a female screw hole 123 that extends from top to bottom coaxially with the rotation axis A1. The lower end portion of the shaft 137 is screwed into the female screw hole 123. A cylindrical handle 135 is provided at the upper end of the shaft 137. A cylindrical groove 136 with a circular cross-section and a closed bottom is formed on the upper surface of the handle 135, perpendicular to the rotation axis A1, and the RFID adapter 140 is housed inside it. The RFID adapter 140 is held by the handle 135 using a bearing 149.

[0051] Figure 7B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotor 120 at a different cross-sectional position (rotated 90 degrees from Figure 6A). The rotor cover 130 is attached so as to close the opening 128 at the top of the rotor body 121. A predetermined space 127 is formed in the upper region of the rotor body 121 and the lower portion of the rotor cover 130. Multiple retaining holes 126 are formed in the rotor body 121 that open into the space 127. The RFID adapter 140, which is positioned on the handle 135 of the rotor cover 130, is basically formed to be rotationally symmetric, except for the contact portion 144 and the RF tag 148. Therefore, the only difference between Figure 7B and Figure 7A is the shape of the contact portion 144 formed at the upper end of the socket 141 that holds the RF tag 148, and the shape other than the contact portion 144 appears to be the same as in Figure 7A. Note that the shape of the RF tag 148 is arbitrary and can be either rotationally symmetric or rotationally asymmetric. Below the main body portion 121a of the rotor body 121, a fitting hole 125 is formed for mounting to the crown 109 (see Figure 6). The inside of the mounting portion 121b has a cylindrical surface with a constant inner diameter.

[0052] Figure 8A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the RFID adapter 140 and the rotation-preventing member 160 that contacts the RFID adapter 140. The rotation-preventing member 160 is formed to prevent the RFID adapter 140 from rotating when the rotor body 121 (see Figure 7A) rotates. The shaft 137 is provided to pass through the central through-hole of the cover portion 131 (see Figure 6), and a handle 135 is provided at its upper end for the user to rotate the shaft 137 by hand. The shaft 137 and the handle 135 are firmly fixed so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. A circumferential groove 138 is formed on the shaft 137, which is continuous in the circumferential direction. By attaching a C-ring to this circumferential groove 138, the entire rotor cover 130 can be moved when the user grips the handle 135. The cover portion 131 shown in Figure 6 is located between the bottom surface of the handle 135 and the circumferential groove 138. Although not shown in Figure 8A, a male thread is formed on the outer surface near the lower end of the shaft 137.

[0053] A bottomed cylindrical groove 136 is formed from the top surface of the handle 135 along the axis of rotation. The cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical groove 136 perpendicular to the axis of rotation A1 is circular. An RFID adapter 140 for holding an RF tag 148 is provided inside the cylindrical groove 136. The RFID adapter 140 consists of a socket 141 and an RF tag 148 fixed inside the socket 141. The socket 141 is held by a bearing 149 in a state where it can rotate relative to the handle 135 and can maintain a state of not rotating regardless of the rotation of the rotor 120. The bearing 149 is a ball bearing in which a plurality of rolling elements 149a rotate between an inner ring 149c and an outer ring 149b, with the outer ring in contact with the inner circumferential surface and a part of the bottom surface (near the outer circumference) of the cylindrical groove 136, and the inner circumferential surface of the inner ring in contact with the socket 141. A handle cap 151 is provided on the top of the handle 135. The handle cap 151 is a metal or non-metallic component that rotates together with the handle 135 and is fixed to the handle 135 by four screws 153.

[0054] A contact portion 144 is formed on the upper part of the socket 141. The contact portion 144 is the part that contacts the rotation-preventing member 160, and a negative groove 144a is formed therein. On the other hand, a negative projection 161 is formed on the lower tip of the rotation-preventing member 160. The negative projection 161 is positioned on the bottom surface of the door 106, coinciding with the central axis of the rotor cover 130, and its tip is shaped similarly to the tip of a flathead screwdriver. During centrifugal separation operation (when the rotor 120 rotates), the negative projection 161 engages with the negative groove 144a, thereby preventing the rotation of the socket 141.

[0055] Figure 8B is a top view of the handle 135 shown in Figure 8A. The handle 135 houses a socket 141, and a disc-shaped handle cap 151 is attached to its upper part. The handle cap 151 is a resin or metal annular member with a through hole 151a in the center. The inner diameter D of the through hole 151a １５ As shown in Figure 9B described later, the outer diameter D of the contact portion 144 of the socket 141 is １３ Larger than the outer diameter D of the flange portion 143 １４It is formed to be smaller than the above. The four screws 153 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction to take rotational balance into consideration. The contact portion 144 and the minus projection 161 (see Figure 8A) are anti-rotation members shaped to correspond to the heads of a flathead screwdriver and a flathead screw, and can be manufactured from synthetic resin or a non-magnetic metal. The contact portion 144 has a minus groove 144a that extends in the diametrical direction and has a predetermined width. Near the axis that coincides with the rotation axis A1 of the contact portion 144, there is an opening of a predetermined size, so the minus groove 144a is separated on both sides in the diametrical direction at the central opening.

[0056] Figure 9A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of section E-E in Figure 8B. The A-A section is perpendicular to the direction of extension of the radially extending negative groove 144a. A negative projection 161 formed on the rotation-preventing member 160 engages with the negative groove 144a. Magnets 117 are provided on both sides of the negative projection 161 of the rotation-preventing member 160. On the other hand, a position-fixing magnet 146 that generates an attractive force toward the magnets 117 is provided on the socket 141 side, facing the multiple magnets 117. The upper part of the magnet 146 is fixed by a plug pin 147 that closes the hole that houses the magnet 146. When the user moves the open door 106 downward to close it, the magnet 146 on the socket 141 side and the magnet 117 on the rotation-preventing member 160 side repel or attract each other, causing the socket 141 to rotate in a position where it can be fitted by the action of the magnets 117 and 146. After this, when the door 6 is closed, the negative projection 161 fits into the negative groove 144a in the correct corresponding position, and a good engagement state is maintained. Note that the negative projection 161 and the negative groove 144a do not need to be tightly fitted together; an engagement sufficient to stably hold the socket 141 so that it does not rotate relative to the handle 135 of the high-speed rotating rotor 120 is sufficient.

[0057] The socket 141 is fixed to the inner ring 149c of the bearing 149. The outer ring 149b of the bearing 149 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical groove 136 of the handle 135. Since the bearing 149 has a plurality of rolling elements 149a arranged between the outer ring 149b and the inner ring 149c, the socket 141 can easily rotate relative to the handle 135.

[0058] Figure 9B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the socket 141 shown in Figure 9A. The socket 141 is preferably manufactured by integral molding of a non-conductive material such as resin, and a housing space 145 for housing the RF tag 148 (see Figure 9A) is formed in the center. The socket 141 has a cylindrical portion 142 having a bottom surface 142a, a flange portion 143 that widens radially slightly above the center of the cylindrical portion 142, and a contact portion 144 that extends upward from the flange portion 143. The flange portion 143 has a stepped surface 143b that contacts the upper part of the inner ring of the bearing 149, and a disc portion 143a that protrudes radially outward to prevent the socket 141 from disengaging upward from the handle 135. Diameter D of the flange portion 143 １４ The diameter D of the opening of the handle cap 151 １５ By making it larger than (see Figure 8B), the flange portion 143 can be prevented from deviating from the cylindrical groove 136 of the handle 135 to the outside.

[0059] Returning to Figure 9A, a small recess 136b is formed on the lower surface of the inner ring 149c of the bearing 149, and when the inner ring 149c rotates, the bottom surface of the inner ring 149c and the bottom surface of the recess 136b of the handle 135 remain in a non-contact state. Furthermore, although the inner ring contact portion 143b (see Figure 9B) of the flange portion 143 of the socket 141 contacts the inner ring 149c, the disc portion 143a (see Figure 9B) maintains a predetermined distance from the handle 135, the handle cap 151, and the outer ring 149b, and does not come into contact with them.

[0060] An RF tag 148 (see Figure 9A) is housed in the storage space 145 of the socket 141. The type and shape of the RF tag 148 to be housed can be arbitrarily selected as long as it is small enough to fit inside the storage space 145. A resin cap 155 is provided above the storage space 145 to prevent water and dust from entering. To prevent the user from removing the RF tag 148, the storage space 145 may be filled with silicone resin or the like, or the RF tag 148 may be glued to the socket 141.

[0061] Figure 9C is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of section F-F in Figure 8B. The F-F section is a cross-section in the direction of extension of the negative groove 144a that extends radially. In Figure 9C, the handle 135 and shaft 137 shown in Figure 9A are omitted. In other words, Figure 9C is equivalent to showing only the parts added in this embodiment compared to a conventional rotor (with lid) for a centrifuge. The added parts are a free-rotating member (socket 141, RF tag 148, resin cap 155) provided on the upper side of the rotor body 121 that can rotate freely relative to the rotor body 121 during centrifugal separation, and a bearing 149 that holds the free-rotating member in a non-rotating state on a part of the rotor 120 (handle 135). On the other hand, a rotation-preventing member 160 is provided on the lower side of the door 106 to prevent the socket 141 from rotating when the rotor 120 rotates. The rotation-preventing member 160 is fixed to the non-rotating part of the centrifuge 101 (the lower surface of the door). An RF antenna 167 for wireless communication with the RF tag 148 is provided inside the rotation-blocking member 160. The RF antenna 167 is connected to the wireless communication unit 113 of the control device 112 by a communication line. It is preferable to mount the RF antenna 167 on the rotation axis A1. With this arrangement, when the rotor body 121 and rotor cover 130 are mounted on the rotation axis 108a of the centrifuge 1, it becomes possible to read and write information from the control device 103 to the RF tag 148 using proximity wireless communication technology.

[0062] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the RFID adapter 140 can be installed inside the handle 135 of the rotor cover 130, making it possible for the control device 112 to automatically perform advanced management such as identification management of the rotor 120, detailed recording of usage history, and lifespan management using the RF tag 148. Furthermore, when the door 106 is closed, a part of the rotation-preventing member 160 (the negative projection 161) comes into contact with the negative groove 144a, allowing the rotor 120 to rotate at high speed while maintaining the non-rotating state of the free-spinning member (socket 141), thus eliminating the risk of damage to the RF tag 148 due to centrifugal force. Moreover, there is the advantage that it can be easily applied to a centrifuge 101 equipped with a rotation-preventing member 160 simply by replacing the conventional rotor 20 with the rotor 120 according to the second embodiment.

[0063] Next, a centrifuge according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In embodiment 3, the RFID adapter 140 is not attached to the rotor cover 130, but rather to the upper part of the rotor body 221 of the rotor 220. This rotor 220 can be used in the centrifuge 101 with the rotation-blocking member 160 shown in Figure 6.

[0064] Figure 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a rotor 220 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The rotor 220 has a rotor body 221 having mounting holes for a plurality of sample containers, and a rotor cover 230 mounted on the upper part thereof. The rotor body 221 is provided with a rotor cover 230, but the shape and fixing structure of the rotor cover 230 are different from those of the rotor cover 130 shown in Figures 6 to 8A. The upper surface of the rotor body 221 near the rotation axis A1 is formed as a protruding portion 222 that extends upward in a cylindrical shape. The lid portion 231 of the mounted rotor cover 230 has a through hole 231a centered on the rotation axis A1, and a handle 235 is provided above the through hole 231a. The handle 235 is cylindrical and can rotate freely around the rotation axis A1 relative to the lid portion 231, and is held so as not to be removed from the lid portion 231. However, the handle 235 may be structured to be removable from the lid portion 231. An RFID adapter 140, as described in the second embodiment, is provided near the upper end of the protruding portion 222.

[0065] Figure 11A is a magnified view of the area around the RFID adapter 140 in Figure 10. A male screw 222a is formed on the outer circumference of the protruding portion 222 of the rotor body 221. On the other hand, a female screw 235a is formed on the inner circumference of the handle 235. The user attaches the rotor cover 230 to the rotor body 221 by passing the upper end of the protruding portion 222 through the through hole 231a. Next, the user rotates the handle 235, causing the male screw 222a and the female screw 235a to screw together, the cover portion 231 to fit tightly against the rotor body 221, and the upper opening of the rotor body 221 to close. A bottomed cylindrical groove 226 is formed on the rotor body 221 along the axis of rotation from the top surface. The RFID adapter 140 is provided inside the cylindrical groove 226. The shape of the RFID adapter 140 is the same as that described in Figures 8A to 9C.

[0066] A stepped recess 226a is further formed on the inside of the bottom surface of the cylindrical groove 226. This recess 226a is provided so that the inner ring 149c of the rotating bearing 149 does not come into contact with the protrusion 222. The components of the RFID adapter 140 can be the same as those used in the second embodiment. In this way, the socket 141 housing the RF tag 148 is held by the bearing 149 in a state that allows it to rotate relative to the rotor body 221.

[0067] A contact portion 144 is formed at the top of the socket 141, which contacts a rotation-preventing member 160 (see Figure 8A) fixed to the door 106. A negative groove 144a is formed in the contact portion 144, and a housing space 145 with a circular cross-section is formed in its center, extending from top to bottom. The lower side of the housing space 145 is closed at the bottom surface, and the RF tag 148 is housed inside. A resin cap 155 is provided at the upper opening of the housing space 145. A handle cap 251 is provided on the upper surface of the protrusion 222, radially outward from the contact portion 144. The shape of the handle cap 251 may be the same as the handle cap 151 shown in Figure 8B. The handle cap 251 is directly fixed to the protrusion 222 by four screws 253 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0068] Figure 11B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rotor 220 rotated 90 degrees from the position shown in Figure 11A. This rotated position is a cross-section that passes through the direction of extension of the negative groove 144a of the radially extending socket 141. As can be seen from Figure 11B, the socket 141 is rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis A1, except for the negative groove 144a.

[0069] According to the third embodiment, since the RFID adapter 140 is fixed to the rotor body 221, the correspondence between the rotor body 221 and the RF tag 148, which is the most important item to manage, is not lost. In particular, even if the rotor cover 230 is damaged or lost and replaced, the RFID adapter 140 itself is not affected, so various management and usage history recording for the rotor 220 using the RF tag 148 can continue.

[0070] Although the present invention has been described above based on three embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, theoretically, the RFID adapters 40 and 140 can be set at any position on the outer edge of the main body portion 21a of the rotor body, where the rotation of the free-spinning member can be prevented from the bowl 3 side of the centrifuge by the rotation-preventing member. Thus, in the present invention, the RFID adapters (free-spinning member, holding member) can be provided on the outer edge of the rotor bodies 21, 121, 221, that is, on the lower side, outer circumferential surface, or upper side. Furthermore, the RF tags used in the adapters 40, 70, and 140 are not limited to those that only perform reading and writing of information by proximity wireless communication, but if those that can perform wireless communication from a medium distance of about 1 m are used, the RF antennas 67, 97, and 167 can be provided not only on the rotation-preventing members 60, 90, and 160, but also at any position inside the housing 2 of the centrifuge 1.

[0071] 1...Centrifuge, 2...Housing, 2a...Partition plate, 3...Bowl, 4...Rotor chamber, 5...Opening, 6...Door, 6a...Lever, 7...Temperature sensor, 8...Motor, 8a...Rotating shaft, 9...Crown, 10...Operation panel, 11...Legs, 12...Control device, 13...Wireless communication unit, 14...Protector, 15...Shaft case, 20, 20A...Rotor, 21...Rotor body, 21a...Main body, 21b...Mounting part, 23...Flange, 25...Fit 40...Right-rotating member, 41...Free-spinning member, 42...Top surface, 43...Outer circumference, 43a...Stepped surface, 43b...Narrow diameter surface, 44...Through hole, 44a...Tapered surface, 45...Bottom surface, 46...Housing section, 47...RF tag, 51...Holding member, 52...Top surface, 53...Outer circumference, 54...Inner circumference, 54a...Stepped surface, 54b...Flange section, 54c...Tapered surface, 55...Bottom surface, 60...Rotation prevention member, 62...Top surface, 62a...High step surface, 62b,62d...conical surface, 62c...low step surface, 63...outer surface, 64...inner surface, 65...bottom surface, 66...groove, 67...RF antenna, 70...RFID adapter, 71...free-rotating member, 72...top surface, 73...outer surface, 74...inner surface, 74a...stepped section, 74b...middle diameter section, 74c...conical surface, 75...bottom surface, 76...housing section, 77...RF tag, 78...extended section, 81...holding member, 83a...flange section, 90...rotation prevention member, 91a...high step surface, 91b...low Step surface, 92... Guide projection, 92a... Conical surface, 93... Outer surface, 94... Inner surface, 95... Bottom surface, 96... Groove, 97... RF antenna, 101... Centrifuge, 106... Door, 108... Motor, 108a... Rotating shaft, 109... Crown, 110... Operation panel, 112... Control device, 114... Thermal insulation material, 116... Protrusion, 117... Magnet, 120... Rotor, 121... Rotor body, 121a... Main body, 121b... Mounting part, 123... Female screw hole ,126...retaining hole, 130...rotor cover, 131...lid, 134...circumferential groove, 135...handle, 135a...screw hole, 136...cylindrical groove, 137...shaft, 138...circumferential groove, 140...RFID adapter, 141...socket, 142...cylindrical part, 142a...bottom, 143...flange part, 143a...disk part, 143b...stepped part, 144...contact part, 144a...minus groove, 145...storage space, 146...magnet, 1 47...plug pin, 148...RF tag, 149...bearing, 151...handle cap, 151a...through hole, 152...screw hole, 153...screw, 155...resin cap, 160...rotation prevention member, 161...minus projection, 167...RF antenna, 220...rotor, 221...rotor body, 222...protrusion, 226...groove, 230...rotor cover, 231...lid, 231a...through hole, 235...handle, A1...rotation axis,

Claims

1. A centrifuge comprising a drive unit, a rotor mounted on the rotating shaft of the drive unit, a rotor chamber housing the rotor, a door closing the opening of the rotor chamber, and a control device for controlling the rotation of the drive unit, wherein the rotor comprises a rotor body and a mounting portion extending downward from the rotor body, and on the outside of the rotor, a free-rotating member that can rotate freely relative to the rotor, a holding member that holds the free-rotating member in a free-rotating state so that it cannot be removed from the rotor, and a non-rotating rotation-preventing member that holds the free-rotating member so that it does not rotate when the rotor rotates, and is fixed to a non-rotating part of the centrifuge, wherein an RF tag is provided on the free-rotating member and an RF antenna is provided on the rotation-preventing member, thereby enabling the control device to read and write information to the RF tag when the rotor is mounted on the rotating shaft.

2. The centrifuge according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding member is cylindrical and has a flange portion extending inward from a lower opening, and the free-rotating member is cylindrical and has an outer diameter portion larger than the inner diameter of the flange portion of the holding member, and is held on the lower side of the rotor body and inside the holding member when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, so as to be able to move slightly in the direction of the rotation axis within the internal space of the holding member.

3. The centrifuge according to claim 2, characterized in that the inner diameter of the portion of the retaining member excluding the flange portion is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the free-rotating member, and the height of the free-rotating member is smaller than the height of the retaining member.

4. The centrifuge according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding member is cylindrical and has a flange portion extending outward from a lower opening, and the free-rotating member is cylindrical and has an inner diameter portion smaller than the outer diameter of the flange portion of the holding member, and is held on the lower side of the rotor body and on the outside of the holding member when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, so as to be slightly movable in the rotation axis direction on the outer circumference side of the holding member.

5. The centrifuge according to claim 4, characterized in that the outer diameter of the portion of the retaining member excluding the flange portion is smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the free-rotating member, and the height of the free-rotating member is smaller than the height of the retaining member.

6. The centrifuge according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that the retaining member is fixed to the mounting portion of the rotor, and when the rotor is mounted on the rotating shaft, the free-spinning member is placed on the rotation-blocking member, thereby maintaining a non-contact state between the flange portion of the retaining member and the free-spinning member in the direction of the rotation axis and the radial direction, and the rotor and the retaining member are rotated by the drive device while the non-contact state is maintained.

7. The centrifuge according to claim 6, characterized in that when the rotor is removed from the rotating shaft and lifted, the free-spinning member moves axially downward and comes into contact with the flange portion, thereby maintaining a state in which the free-spinning member cannot be separated from the rotor.

8. The rotor for a centrifuge according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation-preventing member is a disc-shaped base provided around the rotation shaft, and an antenna portion for communicating with the RF tag is provided on the upper surface of the base.

9. The centrifuge according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotor body has an opening formed at the top for inserting and removing a sample container, a rotor cover is provided to cover the opening, the rotor cover has a disc-shaped lid and a handle provided in the center of the lid, a bottomed cylindrical groove is formed from the upper surface of the handle along its axis so as to function as the holding member, the free-rotating member is provided inside the cylindrical groove via a bearing, and the rotation-preventing member is provided on the bottom surface of the door at a position that coincides with the axis of the rotor cover.

10. The centrifuge according to claim 9, wherein the bearing has an outer ring and an inner ring, and a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring, the free-spinning member includes a cylindrical socket made of a non-conductive material, the socket is fixed inside the inner ring, an anti-rotation portion is formed on the upper surface of the socket, and when the door is closed, a part of the rotation-preventing member engages with the anti-rotation portion, thereby enabling the rotor to rotate while maintaining the non-rotating state of the free-spinning member.

11. A centrifuge rotor comprising a rotor body having a holding hole for holding a sample container, and a cylindrical portion extending below the rotor body and for attachment to the rotating shaft of a drive device, and detachably attached to the rotating shaft, wherein a cylindrical free-rotating member is provided on the lower side of the cylindrical portion, which is free-rotating relative to the rotor and has an RF tag that can read and write data from the outside by wireless communication, and a cylindrical holding member is provided coaxially for holding the free-rotating member in a free-rotating state so that it cannot be removed from the rotor, the holding member having a flange portion extending inward from the lower opening of the cylindrical shape, and the free-rotating member having an outer diameter portion that is larger than the inner diameter of the flange portion of the holding member, and holding the holding member in a state in which it can move slightly in the direction of the rotation axis within the internal space of the holding member.

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