Circular Ramp Carrier Handling for Spill Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laboratory sample container carrier handling apparatuses face challenges in reliably transferring sample containers between transport planes and handling systems without tilting, which can lead to spillage due to height discrepancies and steps in the transfer path.
Innovation Solution
A laboratory sample container carrier handling apparatus with a revolving device and a driving surface featuring ascending ramps along a circular path ensures smooth, step-free movement from entry to exit positions, maintaining a consistent height relative to the transport plane to prevent tilting and spilling, and includes horizontal sections for correct alignment and handover of sample containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a transport plane is positioned at a different height level than the driving surface, then the sample container carrier can be transferred between different levels, but the sample container carrier may tilt and spill during transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a curved, arc-shaped transfer path instead of a straight or stepped transition. The driving surface is positioned along a circular arc segment, creating a smooth curved trajectory for the sample container carrier. This curvature eliminates abrupt height changes and steps that would cause tilting, while still enabling transfer between different height levels. The curved path ensures continuous, gradual elevation changes that maintain carrier stability throughout the transfer process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an equipotential transfer surface where the driving surface is positioned at a consistent radial distance from the rotation axis throughout the arc segment. This ensures that the sample container carrier experiences uniform gravitational potential changes along the transfer path, preventing tilting forces. The surface is designed to maintain consistent orientation relative to the gravitational field, eliminating harmful potential energy variations that would cause instability.
2Ease of operation
If the driving surface starts below and ends above the transport plane, then the sample container carrier moves smoothly through height transitions, but the apparatus requires more complex positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the driving surface to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a support surface, a positioning mechanism, and a height-transition pathway. The arc-shaped driving surface inherently provides both the smooth height transition and the correct angular positioning for entry and exit. By integrating these functions into a single geometric form, the patent avoids the need for separate positioning mechanisms while achieving smooth transfer between different height levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-configures the driving surface geometry to automatically guide the sample container carrier through the correct transfer trajectory. The arc-shaped surface is designed in advance to provide the exact height progression and angular orientation needed for smooth entry and exit. This preliminary geometric configuration eliminates the need for real-time active positioning adjustments during operation, simplifying the control system while ensuring smooth transfer.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a laboratory sample container carrier handling apparatus 1 comprising a revolving device 2, being adapted to move a sample container carrier 3 supplied to the revolving device 2 along a circular path P, and wherein the circular path P has at least one ascending ramp. The invention relates further to a laboratory sample distribution system 100 comprising such a laboratory sample container carrier handling apparatus 1.