EP2450099B1 - Mixing device with storage for a holder device, and method for using the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mixing device, in particular for mixing laboratory vessel contents with a receiving device for receiving mixed material and having a drive, by means of which the receiving device relative to a normal stationary chassis in a mixing movement can put, in which the receiving device on a closed Path, recurring periodically to a certain position in a certain orientation in space moves, preferably in a horizontal plane of movement only translationally and cyclically, in particular on a circular path, and with a storage that guides the receiving device in the mixing movement.

Mixing devices in which laboratory vessel contents are mixed are well known. For this purpose, mixing devices are known to have receiving devices for a wide variety of mix containers. Such receptacles may also consist of a pedestal structure on which a holder for the mix containers is kept interchangeable in order to make the mixer useful for various vessels. Especially for laboratories, there are mixers that can mix even small amounts of liquid, that small containers in suitable holders, so-called "exchange blocks" are also summarized in very large groups of two, three or even four-digit number. Such exchangeable blocks and also the reaction vessels can be standardized. For example, there are 0.2 ml, 0.5 ml, 1.5 ml and 2.0 ml tubes - and suitable replacement blocks for this purpose. There are also exchangeable blocks for cryo vessels, for falcon vessels (1.5 ml and 50 ml), for glass vessels and beakers, for microtiter plates (MTP), for deep well plates (DWP), for slides (slides) and for PCR plates with 96 or 384. single vessels. This list is not exhaustive, but indicates in which large variety laboratory vessels or Mischgut-vessels exist, for which the mixers should be suitable. For this purpose, a standardization of the base structure of exchange blocks can be made.

Because these interchangeable blocks are basically constructed so that the individual vessels are inserted from above into it, a circular translatory cyclic mixing movement has been established for the known mixers, which proceeds essentially in a horizontal plane. For this purpose, in the known mixers usually an electric motor eccentric drive responsible, a To put recording device in this circular movement. The latter is stored in known different ways: For example, is known a bearing in linear bearings (so-called ball bushes) or in linear bearings in the two horizontal directions. But is also known a film hinge bearing or storage in a swing frame, in which the receiving device is mounted resiliently in a frame in the two horizontal directions, for example by coil springs.

These known types of bearings all have different disadvantages. The storage in linear bearings or Lineargleitlagem is structurally complex, requires accurate adjustment and can therefore be prone to failure. The Filmschanierlagerung is inexpensive and structurally quite simple, but can lead to fatigue failure. The use of a swing frame leads to an increased axial load on the drive and requires a certain height. In addition, the drive must do additional work against the spring elements used in the swing frame. This also increases the risk that a swing frame may be damaged. Furthermore, the alignment of a swing frame with respect to the eccentric drive in a mixer is very expensive.

Typically, such mixers are driven at a rotational frequency of 200 rpm to 1,500 rpm. Depending on the mixture required for the mix, but also on mixed-mechanical parameters, the frequency of the mixing movement is known to be adjustable.

From the mixing movement, in particular the circular mixing movement described as preferred, the problem of unbalance arises physically. This is known to be solved by a suitably placed counterweight, which communicates with the rotary driven receiving adapter and rotates to compensate for the imbalance.

Also known bearings are in the DE 20018633U1 and the US5655836 described, in which the receiving device in the form of a "table" stands on supports with hinged bearings at both ends, which are equidistant from each other in all the supports. Here it turns out to be problematic that the possible with this arrangement and under the influence of the mixing forces acting in the mixing forces also allow an unwanted rotation and / or tilting of the table against a (properly fixed) chassis (z-stroke), the main plane of the receiving device (and thus also held by her Mischgut vessels) can clearly move from the horizontal plane - whereby there is a risk that container contents are spilled and the unwanted rotation and / or tilting of the receiving device is not returned by the drive can be.

From the DE 102 32 202 A1 a generic mixing device for laboratory vessel contents is known in which a receiving device for the vessels is mounted and guided by means of joint bearing supports. However, this device involves the risk of unwanted twisting and / or tilting of the receiving device during the mixing movement.

The present invention has for its object to provide a mixing device which avoids the problems of said previous solutions mentioned or at least reduced. In particular, the present invention has for its object to provide a mixer with spherical bearings, in which the risk of unwanted rotation and / or tilting of the receiving device is reduced.

This object is achieved by a device for mixing with the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are specified in the subclaims.

According to the invention, a mixing device has in particular for mixing laboratory vessel contents a receiving device for receiving mixed material and a drive and a storage. By means of the drive, the receiving device can be guided relative to a chassis fixed in accordance with the intended purpose by the storage in a mixing movement.

Preferably, the mixing movement is a translational movement of the entire recording device (driven by the drive and guided by the forced guidance of the bearing) on a path in the space which extends substantially in the horizontal plane, ie in the x and y direction in a three-dimensional coordinate system. The maximum deviations of the web in a vertical (ie perpendicular to the horizontal plane) direction (z-direction), is preferably 5% of the height (in the vertical direction) of the smallest used Mischgut vessels, more preferably 1% and particularly preferably 0, 2% of the height of the smallest used mix container. Deviations from the horizontal plane in the Verticals are preferably not more than 0.2 mm, more preferably not more than 0.05 mm, and particularly preferably not more than 0.02 mm. When assessing the quality of a circular path that is as flat as possible, recourse is preferably made to acceleration sensors which increase the acceleration of the Measure the recording device in all three spatial directions (x, y, z). The magnitude of the acceleration vectors should always be constant for a given rotational frequency, with the z component being as low as possible, and the x and z components being out of phase with each other. At a rotational frequency of 3000 rpm, the effective value for the acceleration vector in the z-direction is less than or equal to 50 m / s ² , preferably less than or equal to 20 m / s ² and particularly preferably less than or equal to 10 m / s ² , this being Value also depends on the weight load of the mixing device. For example, at 3000 rpm, the RMS value is 10 m / s ² when the mixing device as a receiving device carries an exchangeable block weighing 500 g. To determine the acceleration in the z direction, a uniaxial sensor (M352C65, M353B15) from PCP Piezoelectronics Inc. was used. Furthermore, a triaxial sensor (356A22) from PCP Piezoelectronics Inc was used to determine the quality, ie uniformity, of the concentricity.

Quite generally speaking, the mixing movement is a movement of the receiving device on a closed, so to speak annular and somehow spatially three-dimensional path which is at least predominantly translational, but can also perform rolling movements, if they only periodically to at least one particular location in a particular orientation in space recurs. Really preferably, the pick-up device reverts to each point of the web in space, and is a periodic movement so that each point of the web in space is reached again and again at equal intervals - or in other words, so that the pick-up device interrupts periodically same place. The preferred circular or elliptical planar path is also referred to as the orbital path. Shown in the three-dimensional coordinate system, the preferred circular path of movement of the mixing device according to the invention is predominantly on the x-axis (abscissa) and y-axis (ordinate) spanned horizontal plane. Movements in the direction of the z-axis (applicate) are preferably less pronounced and show up in the mixing device as a kind of up and down movement of the receiving device and thus also the vessels located therein with content. The movement in the direction of the z-axis is called a z-stroke.

The storage according to the invention holds and guides the receiving device during this mixing movement so that the dynamic up and down movement of the

Receiving device is preferably reduced as possible. This dynamic up and down movement is known in the art as the already mentioned z-stroke. A z-stroke during the mixing movement is disadvantageous in most applications, and therefore undesirable, since it can lead to wetting and thus contamination of the vessel lid, or squirts the sample out of the vessel in open vessels.

The storage has at least two supports. The at least two supports can either be of equal length or alternatively have different lengths. For columns of different lengths, a leveling over the other components, such as the receiving device or the chassis must be done to align the recording device again in a horizontal plane. Each of these supports according to the invention has at least two mutually spaced storage areas (spherical plain bearings), which - at least substantially - have no translatory and at least two (linearly independent) rotational degrees of freedom. Bearing areas (spherical plain bearings) are the areas of the support that are in direct contact with a bearing or parts of a bearing. A support can be both one-piece and multi-part. In a multi-part support at least two parts each have at least one storage area. The at least two storage areas of a support can be located at different positions of the support. Preference is given to the terminal arrangement, in which a bearing is located at both ends of the support, since this simplifies the assembly of the mixing device according to the invention. The bearing areas preferably have slide bearings which each have at least one rotational degree of freedom about an axis which deviates from the extension direction of the support (as intended about the vertical). Preferably, the axes of rotation are perpendicular to the direction of extension.

According to the invention, it is possible to realize the (at least) two rotational degrees of freedom by means of two separate bearings. Preferably, however, the storage area has only one warehouse. This can realize all three rotatory degrees of freedom (x, y and z), preferably even with axes (ball joint) intersecting in one point (fulcrum). Or in another preferred embodiment, the directions of a rotational degree of freedom of both camps of the respective storage area are perpendicular to each other - preferably even in a point (pivot point) crossing (cross or "Kardan" -Getenk). In another possible Embodiment are the directions of a rotational degree of freedom of both bearings in the horizontal ..

The bearings have, at least essentially, no translational degrees of freedom, that is, a person skilled in the art understands a bearing without translational degrees of freedom, wherein he accepts deviations in the usual tolerance range. These unwanted deviations may arise, for example, from the elastic and / or plastic deformation of the elements of the bearings, but due to the choice of materials - elastic and / or plastic or plastic deformation are not wanted, unless explicitly elastic bearing elements are used - should be negligible.

Of these storage areas so stored one the respective support on the chassis and the other the receiving device to the support. Storage area (spherical bearing) in the context of this invention is preferably a universal joint (also called universal joint), or particularly preferably a ball and socket joint (ball joint). A provided with the ball joints support is here called ball support. However, the bearing area can also be, for example, a short elastic rod section, in which its bending elasticity makes up the two rotational degrees of freedom (which, however, are limited in their extent of movement, for example by the plastic deformation limit or breaking strength of the rod).

The storage according to the invention has a guide device, which during the mixing movement, the rotation of the receiving device relative to the chassis.

By means of this guide device, which is preferably form-fitting, an unintentional, in particular chaotic, rotation of the receiving device relative to the chassis can be effectively prevented.

The drive of the mixing device according to the invention is initially able to set the receiving device in a mixing movement, which, as mentioned, preferably runs in a circular translatory cyclical manner in a plane. In other words, "circular translationally cyclical" can be described by the fact that in such a mixing movement according to the invention all points of the receiving device perform a repetitive circular motion with essentially the same radius, angular velocity and angular position about a respective center in plane-parallel planes. The mixing movement runs preferably in substantially horizontal planes - so that, for example, accommodated in receiving adapters of the receiving device exchange blocks are recorded in them vertically upright reaction vessels reliable, ie to spill without the vessel contents in the usual filling. The drive is preferably via an eccentric, which is rotatably mounted in the receiving device. Here, the offset between the axis of the drive shaft and the parallel to it axis of the eccentric determines the orbit radius of the mixing movement. This offset, which is also referred to as the amplitude of the eccentric determined at constant column length, the inclination of the columns and thus the distance between the receiving device and chassis.

The storage of the receiving device according to the invention allows a positive guidance of the receiving device, wherein the storage is easy to assemble and yet the axial forces emanating from the receiving device, are absorbed by the storage. Furthermore, the storage according to the invention allows the construction of mixers with a small overall height. The advantages of the storage according to the invention are thus simple assembly and very strong reduction of the load of the drive in the axial direction. The latter point increases occupational safety and the life of the drive. Thus, the storage according to the invention is also particularly suitable for use in mixing devices which have to carry high loads, such as large filled laboratory vessels (eg Erlenmeyer flasks (2000 ml). Since space in a laboratory is always limited, the small overall height of the mixer according to the invention is also beneficial.

Furthermore, this storage already in principle allows to set the radius of this circular path by establishing geometry parameters such as the support length or even on the device by the user to make adjustable. The circular path radius is preferably between 0.5 mm and 5 mm and particularly preferably between 1 mm and 2 mm. The circular path frequency can be reduced due to the new storage to values up to 50 rev / min. But it can also (especially at high loading weight of the vessels) frequencies of 2,000 rev / min, preferably 2,500 rev / min, and even 3,000 rev / min and to be driven more.

Preferably, the storage has two, three or four of the supports, which, for example, in principle like stool or table legs, the receiving device as it were Tabletop on the chassis as a base lagem. For example, if the joint bearings, in particular the pivot points of the joint bearing a support equidistant from each other as the joint bearings, in particular the pivot points of the joint bearings of all other supports, this results in a mobility of the recording device always in plane-parallel alignment over the chassis (mobility of the plane through the cradle pivot bearings opposite the plane through the chassis pivot bearings). Since the supports carry the axial / vertical loads, a mixer is all the more resilient, the more supports it has.

If the distance between the chassis and the receiving device is determined, for example, by suitable positive guidance, this translational mobility exists, for example, for equally long, parallel supports only on a circular path with a fixed radius. This is essential to achieve a smooth mixing motion on a circular planar path, i. a stable mixing movement without tilting and with reduced z-stroke.

In this mixing device according to the invention, the angle of inclination of each individual support relative to the chassis remains constant over the entire revolution of the mixing movement, since the supports can not twist against each other. In addition, in a mixing device according to the invention with supports of equal length, over the entire length of the imaginary points a, b, c, d, etc. distribute, that remains even during the mixing process, the distance between one of these points and one of the respective equivalent point a ', b', c, 'd', etc., on one of the other supports. Without these features, there would be an unwanted twisting of the two levels against each other.

Consequently, the determination of this distance is a first example of a guide device according to the invention, which leads during the mixing movement, the rotation of the receiving device relative to the chassis. The distance (and thus the radius of the circular path) is ultimately determined by the amplitude with which the eccentric moves the receiving device relative to the chassis, wherein the eccentric is mounted on the chassis. If the distance of the plane of movement of the receiving device from the chassis even configured adjustable, for example, in this way, the radius of the circular path of the mixing movement can be set on the mixing device according to the invention

Even if the distance from the chassis level to the receiving device by the drive shaft in the point of application of the drive shaft -. is determined by the eccentric - on the receiving device, in the remaining points, a change in the distance by an unwanted tilting of the recording device relative to the chassis plane to the point of application is possible.

In the mixing device according to the invention, however, the distance between the chassis level and the recording device at the remaining points remains unchanged. The distance remains unchanged at all points, since the angle of inclination of each individual support relative to the chassis is kept constant over the entire circulation of the mixing movement, and the supports can not twist against each other. This feature - the inclination angle of each support relative to the chassis remains the same - thus eliminates unwanted twisting of the two planes, namely the plane of movement of the cradle (the plane through the cradle pivot bearings relative to the chassis plane (plane through the chassis pivot bearings) is unwanted, and it is in the present invention to minimize them, as this leads to an uncontrolled mixing movement, which is disadvantageous (z-stroke).

This unwanted rotation is reduced or prevented by the guide device according to the invention. The guide device according to the invention leads during the mixing movement, the rotation of the receiving device relative to the chassis, wherein reducing / preventing this unwanted twist falls under this inventive guiding the rotation. The guide device according to the invention preferably performs such that the unintentional rotation is equal to zero. Shown as projecting into the x, y planes, it can be seen that the guide means causes the supports to always be deflected in the same direction, i. the guide device synchronizes the column movement.

The guide device according to the invention includes, for example, bearings, rods, cams, rails, webs, links and combinations thereof. The guide device according to the invention can likewise consist of a magnetic field. In this embodiment, both the receiving device and the chassis each carry at least one compatible magnetic element, ie, in attractively interacting elements selected from the group of magnets, magnetizable elements, permanent magnets, electromagnets and current-carrying coils or a combination thereof. Examples of permanent magnets are those of a ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel, cobalt, neodymium-iron-boron, samarium-cobalt.

By establishing a magnetic field between the receiving device or parts thereof and the chassis, or parts thereof, a positive guidance is achieved, so that the inclination angle of each support relative to the chassis remains constant over the entire cycle of the mixing movement. An adjustable embodiment is possible, for example by regulating the currents in a current-carrying coil by means of a control device. The control device regulates the current flow and thus the strength of the magnetic field or regulates the polarity on the basis of received signals (for example: manual inputs with respect to the current density, the weight and / or the viscosity of the vessel contents, sensor signal with respect to the detected weight and / or viscosity) the coil and thus the direction of the magnetic field. Thus, depending on weight, vessel and / or vessel contents (viscosity) a directed movement in the vertical direction, i. to achieve a shaking motion (up and down motion, vibration) of the pickup device that continues to move on its orbit. This is an advantage of this embodiment

Preferably, the guide means has at least one web of two of the supports of the invention with each other. It stores a bearing that has no translational and only one rotational degree of freedom (hinge joint) the web on one support, and a second hinge joint supports the bridge on the other support. The two hinge joints are rotatable about mutually parallel axes. Thus, the orientation of these two supports in the plane, which is oriented at right angles to the two parallel hinge axis defined: the supports can only rotate in this plane against each other. Thus, in principle, a 3-dimensional ("skewed") twisting (twisting) of the two supports against each other by means of the web blocked. A skewed twisting (twisting) of the supports against each other is a prerequisite for the unwanted twisting of the two supported on the supports levels (as already indicated above: when twisting the two levels against each other changes by the concomitant inclination of the supports at the same time the distance between the levels). The unintentional rotation of the planes relative to one another is consequently significantly reduced by the guide device according to the invention, the web attaching to the supports in interaction with the hinge joints. The skilled person is known that compression and expansion of the columns and webs can not be completely ruled out, which also cause an unwanted twisting. The axes of the hinge joints are each mounted centrally between the respective joint bearings of the two supports connected by the web. This is especially true for two different length supports that are connected by a bridge and hinge joints. In a device with a plurality of supports, for example, four, in which each two supports have the same length, it does not matter between which of the supports the web is arranged with hinged joints, as long as the axes of the hinge joints each center between the respective Gelenklagem are arranged.

In order to illustrate that due to the bearing of the web over the two hinged joints on, for example, two equally long, parallel supports there is no unwanted twisting, the system can also be described as follows: An imaginary straight line (ie projected in for a better understanding, indeed not present straight line), a so-called connecting line, which starts at one of the two parallel hinge joint axes and perpendicular to the two hinge joint axes, always remains parallel to an imaginary connecting line (ie a straight line not projected for better understanding) during the mixing movement, which connects the two bearing joints with each other on the chassis and to an imaginary connecting line (that is, a projected for better understanding actually not present straight line), which connects the two bearing joints on the exception device with each other.

Preferably, the following distances to the device according to the invention are the same size: between two supports, the distance between the pivot points of the joint bearing on the chassis from each other and the distance between the pivot points of the pivot bearing on the receiving device from each other. With equally large distances between the pivot points on one support and the pivot points on the other support, ie columns of the same length, a parallelogram arrangement of these fulcrums can result in the inventive storage. Preferably, when all the supports of the device, the pivot points of the joint bearings of two supports on the chassis and the pivot points of the joint bearings of the same two supports on the receiving device equidistant from each other and if all pivot points on the chassis to each other have the same arrangement as all pivot points the receiving device, results in two supports to each other always a parallelogram-shaped arrangement of the fulcrums - and out of a form-fitting guided storage of the mixing movement according to the invention. This is even forced, if, for example, as already described above, the movement plane of the receiving device is set at a certain distance from the chassis by suitable additional storage.

Preferably, the supports according to the invention have a length between 700 mm and 5 mm; more preferably a length of 300 mm to 10 mm; and more preferably a length of 150 mm to 20 mm. In an inventive embodiment of the supports with spherical bearings, the supports have a length of 35 mm, measured from the pivot point / center of the ball of the ball and socket joint. Then have the spherical plain bearings, designed as a ball and socket joint, a ball diameter between 60 mm and 3 mm; more preferably a ball diameter between 30 mm and 5 mm; and more preferably a ball diameter between 20 mm and 7 mm. In an embodiment of the ball and socket joint according to the invention, the ball diameter is 13 mm. This results in a preferred sliding speed in the joint of between 0 and 0.2 m / s in the pairing metal / plastic and also in the reverse choice of material - advantageous in particular if the ball at least its articulated surface made of polished metal such as VA steel or aluminum ( anodised) or ceramic and the pan has at least its plastic articulation surface such as abrasion-resistant, slip-modified thermoset or thermoset. The preferred sliding speed can also be achieved by reverse material selection, i. The ball consists at least on its surface of a plastic, in particular an abrasion-resistant sliding-modified thermoplastics or thermosets and the pan, at least their articular surface of a polished metal, for example, VA steel or aluminum (anodized) or ceramic.

In the designed as a ball and socket joint pivot bearing several variants can be distinguished. In one variant, the ball is rigidly connected to the support, and the pan is only indirectly over the ball in conjunction with the support. In a second variant, the arrangement is reversed, ie the pan is rigidly connected to the support and the ball is only indirectly above the pan in connection with the support. The depending on the variant with the support only indirectly connected part of the ball and socket joint, however, is in rigid contact with the chassis or recording device. Preferably, the second variant, since a Mixing device according to the invention is particularly easy to assemble with this arrangement of storage.

The mixing device according to the invention may comprise, in addition to the receiving device, the drive and the bearing according to the invention, at least one heating element, preferably a controllable heating element. This is preferably embodied by a Peltier element or a resistance heating element, e.g. a heating foil. In a preferred embodiment, the mixing device further comprises a cooling device, e.g. a Peltier element. This can be used in a particularly preferred embodiment for heating and cooling. In different tempering devices, e.g. when using a Peltier element, the complementary use of heat sinks and fans makes sense. The heating or cooling element tempered the laboratory vessel and thus also the contents therein.

With the mixing device according to the invention, a method for mixing laboratory vessel contents can be operated. In this case, a laboratory vessel with content is placed on the mixing device and then put the mixing device into operation. In this mixing method, it is also possible to temper the contents of the laboratory vessels, i. to be set to a temperature via controlled heating and cooling. Thus, a simultaneous mixing and tempering is possible with the device according to the invention.

The mixing device according to the invention has various uses: first, it can be used as a freestanding mixing device, i. be used as a single independent laboratory device in the laboratory. Another use is their use in a laboratory machine, e.g. from the preparation of the sample through the mixing to the final analysis. Another use is the use in an incubator in which samples, especially living cells, a controlled atmosphere (temperature, humidity, gas) are exposed, wherein the mixing device according to the invention provides for the uniform movement of the sample to be incubated.

The following brief description of the device according to the invention provides the following advantages: simple mountability of the bearing and reduction of the load on the drive in the axial / vertical direction. Another advantage of both the high load capacity of the storage as well as wide range of possible rotations (50 rpm - 3000 rpm), the suitability of the storage for both small light laboratory vessels, eg Eppendorf microplate wells, slides, which can all be filled with very small volumes (maximum filling volumes, 0.1 ml, 0, 2 ml, 0.5 ml, 1.5 ml and 2.0 ml) as well as for large, heavily filled laboratory vessels, Falcon tubes, glass vessels, Erlenmeyer flasks (eg up to 2000 ml), beakers etc ..

Figur 1

zeigt schematisch eine räumliche Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Mischen,

Figur 2

zeigt schematisch eine räumliche Ansicht einer alternativen erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Mischen ohne Aufnahmevorrichtung,

Figur 3 a

zeigt eine schematische räumliche Ansicht einer Ausgestaltung einer Baugruppe einer erfindungsgemäßen Lagerung, bei der der Steg die Kugelstütze, an der er gelagert ist, beim Scharniergelenk gabelförmig umgreift und bei der die Kugeln der Kugel-Pfanne-Gelenke an der Kugelstütze angeordnet sind,

Figur 3 b

zeigt eine räumliche Ansicht einer körperhaften Ausgestaltung der erfindungsgemäßen Lagerung nach Figur 3 a,

Figur 3 c

zeigt eine schematische räumliche Ansicht einer alternativen Ausgestaltung der Baugruppe gemäß Figur 3 a. bei der die Kugelstütze den Steg beim Scharniergelenk gabelförmig umgreift und bei der die Pfannen der Kugel-Pfanne-Gelenke an der Kugelstütze angeordnet sind,

Figur 3 d

zeigt eine räumliche Ansicht einer körperhaften Ausgestaltung der erfindungsgemäßen Lagerung nach Figur 3 c,

Figur 4

zeigt eine räumliche Ansicht einer Ausgestaltung eines erfindungsgemäßen Gelenklagers,

Figur 5 a, b und c

zeigen mehrere schematische räumliche Ansichten von alternativen Anordnungen der erfindungsgemäßen Kugelstützen einer Vorrichtung zum Mischen nach Figur 1, bei der die Kugelstützen paarweise unterschiedlich von Stegen mit einander verbunden sind,

Figur 6

zeigt eine räumliche Ansicht einer körperhaften Ausgestaltung einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Mischen,

Figur 7

zeigt eine räumliche Ansicht der körperhaften Ausgestaltung der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung nach Figur 6 als Außendarstellung mit einem Gehäuse und

These and other advantages and features of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1

shows schematically a spatial view of a device according to the invention for mixing,

FIG. 2

2 shows a schematic view of an alternative device according to the invention for mixing without a receiving device,

Figure 3 a

shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of an assembly of a storage according to the invention, in which the web, the ball support on which it is mounted, at the hinge joint bifurcated surrounds and in which the balls of the ball and socket joints are arranged on the ball support,

FIG. 3 b

shows a spatial view of a physical embodiment of the storage according to the invention FIG. 3 a,

FIG. 3 c

shows a schematic perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the assembly according to FIG. 3 a. in which the ball support engages around the web in the form of a fork at the hinge joint and in which the pans of the ball and socket joints are arranged on the ball support,

FIG. 3 d

shows a spatial view of a physical embodiment of the storage according to the invention FIG. 3 c .

FIG. 4

shows a spatial view of an embodiment of a joint bearing according to the invention,

Figure 5 a, b and c

show several schematic spatial views of alternative arrangements of the ball supports according to the invention of a device for mixing FIG. 1 in which the ball supports are connected in pairs differently from webs,

FIG. 6

shows a spatial view of a physical embodiment of a device according to the invention for mixing,

FIG. 7

shows a spatial view of the physical configuration of the device according to the invention FIG. 6 as external presentation with a housing and

In the various figures, each corresponding construction elements are provided with the same Bezugsziffem.

In FIG. 1 is a mixing device 2 recognizable with a chassis 4 and a receiving device 6, which are each shown schematically only as rectangular plates. As can be seen from the spatial view, the receiving device 6 is supported on four supports 8, 10, 12, 14. The supports have a (not shown here) circular cylindrical basic shape, each with a joint ball 16 each having a hinge bearing at both ends of the respective support. Each of the joint balls 16 is arranged in a ball socket in the bottom of the receiving device 6 or in the top of the chassis 4. The pivot points (centers) of the bearing balls are equidistant from each other on all supports (distance a).

In FIG. 1 It can be seen that the pivot points (centers) of the joint bearing 16 of the supports 8 and 10 and the supports 12 and 14 in the chassis 4 have the same distance A as the distance B between the pivot points (centers) of the pivot bearing 16 of the same two supports 8 and 10 and the supports 12 and 14 in the receiving device 6. The same applies to the distances C and D between the Fulcrums (centers) of the pivot bearing 16 of the supports 10 and 12 and the supports 8 and 14. Thus, results in the device 2 according to FIG. 1 between each pair of the four supports 8, 10, 12 and 14 a parallelogram arrangement of the respective four pivot points (midpoints).

As it turned out FIG. 1 results, the four pivot points (centers) of the bearing balls 16 at the upper ends of the four supports on a (horizontal) plane 6 are arranged and the four pivot points (centers) of the bearing balls 16 at the respective lower ends of the four supports on a (horizontal) Level 4 plane parallel to it. This inventive storage allows a mixing movement of the receiving device 6 along the arrow 18 in a circular translational recurring.

The recording device 6 is driven in this mixing movement 18 by an eccentric 20, which sits on a vertical, rotationally driven shaft 22. The eccentric 20 is slidably mounted in a through hole 24 in the receiving device 6 and sets with its eccentricity E between the eccentric axis and the shaft axis, the radius of rotation 18 fixed. This determined by the positive engagement of the joint bearing 16 - as long as clearance and tolerances are disregarded, so in principle - then the distance between the chassis 4 and the receiving device 6 (perpendicular to the plane of movement of the mixing movement 18).

In FIG. 1 It can be seen that the pivot bearings 16 allow such a swivel angle S of the support (for example 10) relative to the receiving device 6 (and thus also relative to the chassis 4) that in the mixing movement 18, the circular path of the pivot points of the pivot bearing 16, the receiving device stored on the support (for example, 10), in plan view of the plane of movement 18 (top view not shown) are approximately equal.

In FIG. 1 It can also be seen that the supports 8 and 10 are connected by a web 28 and the supports 12 and 14 by a web 30 together. At both ends of the webs 28, a hinge joint 32 supports the respective web on one of the supports 8, 10, 12 or 14. The hinge joints 32 so store the respective web 28, 30 on the respective support rotatable about mutually parallel axes 34 Example, the axis of rotation of the hinge joint 32 at the left end of the web 28 in FIG. 1 parallel to the axis of rotation of the hinge joint 32 a right end of the web 28 in FIG. 1 , Each about the two parallel axes at its two ends rotatably hinged to the ball supports 8 to 14 webs 28, 32 is a guide device which during the mixing movement 18, the rotation of the receiving device 6 relative to the chassis 4 so that this rotation during the entire period a recurrence - that is, during the entire mixing movement 18 - equal to zero (in other words, always translational).

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a mixing device 2 according to the invention FIG. 2 the corresponding construction elements of the device 2 are numbered identically as in FIG FIG. 1 even if it is not identical, but only functionally appropriate construction elements.

In contrast to the device 2 according to FIG. 1 has the device 2 according to FIG. 2 only two supports 10, 12. Here is the (vertical) distance of the receiving device 6 (not shown) fixed by the chassis 4 by a horizontal collar 36 at the lower end of the eccentric 20.

FIG. 3 a and b show a possible embodiment of a storage according to the invention, as they are in principle FIG. 2 is shown. In FIG. 3 a is however recognizable that the supports 10, 12 (each as plastic molding - see FIG. 3 b) carry lateral bearing balls 16, which protrude into bearings 38 and thus each form a joint stock. This lateral orientation of the joint bearing allows for easy mounting by simultaneous snap both bearing balls of a ball support into the respective bearing shell. The web 28 is (also as a plastic molding - see FIG. 3 b) mounted on the two hinge joints 32, which here, however, include the respective ball support fork-shaped. The pins of the hinge joints 32 penetrate vertically through plane-parallel, flat outer surfaces 40 on the supports 10 and 12 therethrough. The flat outer surfaces 40 on the support 10 and the support 12 abut against the flat inner sides 42 of the forked ends of the web 28.

The bearing shells 38 into which the bearing balls 16 protrude at the upper end of the supports 10, 12 are according to FIG. 3 b arranged in a plastic molded part 44 and also the bearing shells 38, in which the bearing balls 16 protrude at the lower end of the two supports 10 and 12. Thus, the (same) distance between the respective bearing shells 38 and between the hinge joints 16 constructively accurate and tightly tolerated namely specify in each case only one component.

FIG. 3 c and d show an assembly ( FIG. 3 c schematically and FIG. 3 d the physical embodiment), the according to FIG. 3 a and b essentially completely correspond to the reversal of the effective area on the one hand in the spherical plain bearings and on the other hand in the bifurcation: in FIG. 3 c and d at the hinge joint, the ball-stud engages around the bridge in a bifurcated manner and not vice versa, and the pans (and not the balls) of the ball-and-socket joints are arranged on the ball-support.

FIG. 6 shows in a physical embodiment of two modules according to FIG. 3 b with the supports 8, 10, 12, 14 and the webs 28, as they store a receiving device 6 on a chassis 4. Rotationally driven on this device 2, the receiving device 6 on the chassis 4 by a motor 46 via an eccentric 20 in a through hole 24 in the receiving device 6. With a housing 47. This device is 2 in FIG. 7 shown.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the joint bearings, of the bearing balls 16 and the bearing shells 38, such as in FIG. 3 to be formed. Visible, the bearing shell 38 has three slots 48 which are distributed uniformly on the circumference of the edge 50 of the ball opening 52 of the bearing shell 38. A spring ring 54 on the outside about the bearing shell 38 biases the walls of the bearing shell 38 inwardly against the bearing ball 16.

Figure 5 a , b and c show several schematic spatial views of alternative arrangements of the ball supports according to the invention of a device for mixing FIG. 1 , in which the ball supports are connected in pairs differently by webs with each other.

The ball supports are in FIG. 5 shown most schematically without pan, the chassis 4 and the receiving device 6 only highly schematically each dashed as planes. In Fig. 5 a repeats the mutually rectangular arrangement of the four ball supports 8 to 14 - although, however, the ball supports 10 and 12 and 8 and

14 are connected by hinge joint webs 56 and 58 with each other. Fig 5 b shows a mutually triangular arrangement of three ball supports 8, 10 and 60 - wherein only the ball supports 8 and 10 are connected by the hinge joint web 28 with each other. The third ball support 60 stands alone and thus supports the receiving device 6 on the chassis 4 as three legs a stool. Fig. 5 c Finally, a hexagonal arrangement of six ball supports 8 to 14 and 62 and 64 (as in FIG FIG. 1 ) Each two ball supports 8 and 10 by a hinge joint web (28, 30 and 66) are connected to each other.

Claims (14)

1. A mixing device with

   - a receiving device (6) for receiving mixed material, and with

   - a drive (20, 22) by means of which the receiving device (6) can be caused to execute a mixing motion (18) relative to a chassis (4), wherein the receiving device (6) moves along a closed path, periodically returning to a specific position in a specific spatial alignment, and with

   - a bearing assembly that guides the receiving device (6) during the mixing
   motion,

   wherein the bearing assembly

   - comprises at least two supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) that each have two pivot bearings (16) at a distance from each other which do not possess any translatory degrees of freedom and do possess at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and of which one pivot bearing (16) bears the support (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) on the chassis (4), and the other pivot bearing (16) bears the receiving device (6) on the support (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64), and characterized in that the bearing assembly

   - has a guide device (28, 30, 32) that, during the mixing motion (18), guides the rotation of the receiving device (6) relative to the chassis (4).
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the pivot bearings (16) is a universal joint, or a ball joint (16), or a joint region with two bearings at a distance from each other that each have one only rotational degree of freedom.
3. The device according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the guide device (28, 30, 32) has at least one bar (28, 30) that connects two of the supports (8, 12, 62) to each other, wherein one hinge joint (32) that does not have a translatory degree of freedom, and only one rotational degree of freedom, bears the bar (28, 30) on the one support (10, 14, 64), and another hinge joint (32) bears the bar (28, 30) on the other support (8, 10, 12, 14, 62, 64), and wherein the two hinge joints (32) are rotatable about axes that are parallel to each other.
4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the axes of the hinge joints (32) are borne on the chassis (4) and on the receiving device (6) in the middle between the respective pivot bearings (16) of the two supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 62, 64) connected by the bar (28, 30).
5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that, at the hinge joint, the bar (42) forks to encompass the support (40) on which it is borne, or the support forks to encompass the bar.
6. The device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pivot points of the pivot bearings (16) of one support (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) are at the same distance from each other as the pivot points of the pivot bearing (16) of another support (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64).
7. The device according to the prior claim, characterized in that the pivot points of the pivot bearings (16) of one support (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) are at the same distance from each other as the pivot points of the pivot bearing (16) of all the other supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64).
8. The device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the pivot points and/or the axes of rotation of the pivot bearings (16) of two supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) on the chassis (4), and the pivot points and/or rotary axes of the pivot bearings (16) of the same supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) on the receiving device (6), are at the same distance from each other.
9. The device according to the prior claim, characterized in that the pivot points and/or rotary axes of the pivot bearings (16) of all supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) on the chassis (4), and the pivot points and/or rotary axes of the pivot bearings (16) of the same supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) on the receiving device (6), are at the same distance from each other.
10. The device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that only the supports (8, 10, 12, 14, 60, 62, 64) and/or not the drive (20, 22) transmit a force of weight to the chassis (4) that acts on the receiving device (6).
11. The device according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the device (2) comprises a controllable heating element selected from the group of Peltier elements, and resistance heating elements, and heating foils.
12. A method for mixing laboratory vessel contents in which a laboratory flask with contents is placed on the device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 11, and then the mixing device (2) is started.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the temperature of the contents of the laboratory vessel is adjusted.
14. A use of the device according to one of claims 1 to 11 as a freestanding mixing device (2), or as a part of an automated laboratory system or incubator.

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