Adjustable Ring Segment Cover for Laboratory Transport Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laboratory apparatuses face challenges in ensuring safety and preventing inadvertent access or external disturbances through openings used for transporting sample containers, leading to potential injuries or workflow disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A laboratory apparatus with a housing and adjustable ring segment cover that can transition between distant and near adjustments, allowing for easy assembly and secure closure of the opening, minimizing gaps and preventing unintended access or disturbances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a through-opening is provided in the housing for passing transport devices, then the transport function is enabled, but safety risks arise from gaps between the housing and transport device
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into multiple ring segments that can be independently adjusted. These segments can be positioned in a distant adjustment during assembly to accommodate the transport device, then moved to a near adjustment to close gaps and cover the through-opening, thereby eliminating safety risks while maintaining transport functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The ring segments are designed to be adjustable between different positions (distant and near adjustments). This dynamic positioning allows the cover to adapt to the transport device during operation, then secure the opening when not in use, resolving the contradiction between maintaining an open passage and preventing unsafe gaps
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cover is made secure and gap-free, then safety is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cover into adjustable ring segments rather than a single rigid structure, the assembly process is simplified. The segments can be independently positioned during assembly (distant adjustment) to accommodate the transport device, then easily moved to the near adjustment for secure closure, reducing overall assembly complexity while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable nature of the ring segments provides dynamic flexibility during assembly and operation. This allows the cover to be easily assembled with the transport device in place, then securely closed when needed, achieving both safety and ease of assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A laboratory apparatus comprising a housing, wherein the housing comprises a through-opening, wherein the through-opening is adapted for passing through it a transport device for transporting laboratory sample containers in and/or out of the housing, and a cover, wherein the cover comprises at least two ring segments, wherein the ring segments are adjustable to each other between a distant adjustment with at least one distance in between ends of the ring segments for arranging them around the passed through transport device and a near adjustment with less or no distance in between the ends of the ring segments for surrounding the passed through transport device, and wherein the cover in the near adjustment is adapted to cover a part of the through-opening left free by the passed through transport device, wherein the laboratory apparatus is a pre-analytical, analytical, and/or post-analytical laboratory apparatus, in particular a sorting module.