Centrifuge Lid Locking Mechanism with Nested Toggle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking devices for containers, such as centrifuge rotor bowls, pose a risk of injury and are vulnerable to contamination during loading and unloading due to protruding locking elements and unprotected mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A locking device with a drive toggle held in an inner link guide and a rotary guide, allowing a complex rotary-lifting movement of the locking member, eliminating the need for rigidly projecting locking elements and integrating a stepper motor for automatic actuation, with a U- or V-shaped guide track for controlled movement and form-fitting receptacles for secure sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If locking elements project from the underside of the lid, then the locking mechanism can engage with the container, but the locking elements pose a risk of injury during loading and unloading
Solution Approach 1:
The locking member is nested within a receiving opening formed in the container, with only a small engagement portion protruding. The drive toggle and locking member are housed within the container body, eliminating the need for large protruding locking elements on the lid underside while maintaining secure engagement through the receiving opening geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having locking elements project from the lid, the invention inverts the approach by having the locking member recessed into the container with a receiving opening that accepts the locking element. This reversal of the traditional locking element projection direction eliminates the injury hazard while preserving locking functionality.
2Ease of operation
If the locking mechanism is exposed during loading and unloading, then access is easier, but the locking mechanism is exposed to contamination by damaged cargo
Solution Approach 1:
The locking member is positioned in advance within the receiving opening such that it automatically engages when the lid is placed on the container. The drive toggle is pre-positioned to engage the locking member, eliminating the need for exposed mechanical components during loading while maintaining ease of operation through automatic engagement sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving opening acts as an intermediary structure that protects the locking mechanism from contamination. The opening is designed to accommodate the locking member while limiting exposure to damaged cargo, and the drive toggle engages the locking member through this protected interface rather than exposing the entire mechanism.
3Device complexity
If a simple rotary movement is used for the drive toggle, then the drive mechanism is simpler, but it cannot achieve the complex rotary-lifting movement needed for secure locking
Solution Approach 1:
The drive toggle is designed with dynamic characteristics that convert simple rotary input motion into complex rotary-lifting output motion. The toggle mechanism utilizes mechanical advantage and motion transformation to achieve the required locking sequence without requiring a complex multi-actuator system, maintaining drive simplicity while ensuring secure locking through the compound movement pattern.
Data Source
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AI summary
In an apparatus for locking a lid (1) on a container, in particular on the rotor bucket of a centrifuge, having a locking device, which has at least one locking member (4) that is adjustably held in a housing part as well as a drive toggle (5) that engages on the locking member (4), the drive toggle (5) is held in an inner slotted guide (6) formed on the locking member (4) and is held in a rotary guide (7) formed on the housing part (3). The locking member (4) has a head region functioning as a turning bolt (8) and is held in an outer slotted guide (9) formed on the housing part (3).