DEVICE FOR PICKING UP, DISPLACING AND DELIVERING PRODUCTS

Abstract: A device for the exchange of specimens, for example for X-ray analysis, comprises a bush (6) which is secured to a piston (7) accommodated in a cylinder (1) so that displacement of a pressurized fluid in the cylinder displaces the piston and the bush parallel to a centre line of the bush. When means for restricting the displacement are provided, the specimens can be exchanged between two positions to be selected.

Description: The invention relates to a sample exchanging device for analysis apparatus comprising a rod being reciprocatingly displaceable in a longitudinal direction and rotatable about an axis directed in said longitudinal direction, supporting means connected to the rod for handling the samples extending transversely to the rod, an adjustable area extending outwardly from the rod, motor drive means for driving the adjustable arm to rotate about the axis of the rod. From U.S. Patent Specification 3,252,327 a liquid-sample supply apparatus which a moving mechanism comprising a supporting member for handling samples which extends transversely of the rod and an arm which extends outwards from the rod and which is coupled to an adjusting arm which is rotatable, by means of a drive member, about an axis of rotation which extends parallel to the centre line of the rod and drive means for reciprocation of the rod in its longitudinal direction and a bracket which restricts the displacement of the rod with respect to the bush in the downward direction. It is the object of the invention to provide a device of the kind set forth in which the drawbacks of the known construction are avoided. In accordance with the invention, this object can be a sample exchanging device is characterized in that drive means for reciprocating the rod in said longitudinal direction, include a piston cylinder having means for admitting or extracting pressurized fluid to or from the piston cylinder, a bush supporting the rod and extending through the piston cylinder to the adjustable arm, a piston in the piston cylinder being secured to the bush, the piston and the bush being displaceable parallel to the centre line of said bush by admission or extraction of pressurized fluid, and means for restricting longitudinal displacement of the rod with respect to said bush in at least one direction. The device having the construction in accordance with the invention is simpler and suitable for realizing a fast, reliable and uniform displacement of the rod in its longitudinal direction by means of the piston and the bush. It is to be noted that a moving mechanism provided with a cylinder and a piston per se is known from GB 2,071,317. The piston drive is used there to drive a movement for a needle to support a liquid which needle has to be moved up and down and to be rotated simultaneously. The invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to an embodiment of the construction in accordance with the invention which is diagrammatically shown in the accompanying Figures. Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a device in accordance with the invention. Figure 2 is a sectional view at an increased scale of the device shown in Figure 1. The device comprises an adjusting cylinder 1 which in the present embodiment consists of a jacket 2 which is closed at the top and the bottom by cylinder lids 3 and 4, respectively, each lid extending inside the cylinder jacket 2 over a part of its length. The adjusting cylinder is secured to a supporting member 5 which is only partly shown and which occupies a stationary position (see also Figure 2). In bores which are situated in an aligned position and which are provided in the cylinder lids 3 and 4 there is arranged a bush 6 which is slidable in its longitudinal direction with respect to the cylinder lids 3 and 4, so that the centre line of this bush coincides with the centre line of the cylinder jacket 2. A piston 7 which is situated within the cylinder jacket 2 is connected to the bush 6. At the ends of the bush 6 there are provided bearing bushes 8 and 9 for supporting the rod 10 whose centre line coincides with the centre line of the bush 6. To the upper side of the rod 10 there is secured a supporting member 11 which extends perpendicularly to the rod 10 and whose end is provided with a gripping member 12 for picking up an object to be displaced. As appears notably from Figure 2, the end of the supporting member which is clamped to the upper end of the rod 10 by means of a clamping bolt 13 bears on the upper end of a bush 14 which is internally threaded over a part of its length and in which the threaded upper end 16 of the rod 10 is screwed. It will be apparent that the height position of the supporting member 11 can be simply adjusted by rotation of the bush 14 in order to clamp the supporting member onto the rod 10 by means of the clamping bolt 13. Some distance below the supporting member 11 an arm 17 which extends radially with respect to the rod 10 is secured to the rod 10. A slotted hole 18 is provided in the free end of the arm 17. The adjusting cylinder 1 also comprises a supporting plate 19 whereto an electric motor 20 with a gearbox 21 is secured. To the driving shaft 22 of the gearbox 21 there is clamped the end of an arm 23, a pin 24 which extends parallel to the rod 10 and which projects through the slotted hole 18 in the arm 17 being connected to the other end of the arm. As appears notably from Figure 2, a ring 25 which surrounds the bush is secured to the lower end of the bush 6. As appears from Figure 1, nozzles 26 and 27 are provided on the cylinder jacket 2 for the connection of ducts via which pressurized fluid can be admitted to and extracted from the cylinder space 2 above and below the piston 7. The arm 23 supporting the pin 24 can be pivoted to and fro through a given angle by application of appropriate control signals to the motor 20. It will be apparent that, because the pin 24 is situated in the slotted hole 18 provided in the arm 17, the pivoting to and fro of the arm 23 will be accompanied by a pivoting motion through a given angle of the arm 17 and hence of the rod 10 clamped to the arm 17 and the supporting member 11 secured to the rod 10, as denoted by the double arrow A in Figure 1. Moreover, the rod 10 can be moved upwards from the position shown in Figure 1 by admitting pressurized liquid underneath the piston 7 arranged in the adjusting cylinder 1. When pressurized fluid is admitted underneath the piston 7, the piston 7 and the bush 6 secured thereto will be moved upwards in Figure 2. The rod 10 is then taken along because the arm 17 bears on the upper end of the bush 6. The piston 7 and the bush 6 connected thereto will be lowered again when fluid is allowed to escape from the part of the cylinder space 2 which is situated underneath the piston 7 and when (possibly pressurized) fluid is admitted to the space above the piston 7. The rod 10 and the supporting member connected thereto will follow this downward movement under the influence of the force of gravity. However, the rod 10 can alternatively be coupled to the bush 6 so that the rod 10 is rotatable with respect to the bush but not slidable in its longitudinal direction with respect to the bush, so that the bush is positively taken along by the bush 6 also in the downward direction. As has already been stated, the described device can be used particularly effectively, for example for displacing specimens to be examined in an X-ray analysis apparatus or the like. In a first position of the supporting member, a specimen will then be gripped by the gripping member 12 or be arranged in the gripping member, after which the specimen is lifted by the rising of the rod 10 with the supporting member 11 as shown in Figure 2. Subsequently, the supporting member can be rotated through the desired angle by activation of the motor 20, after which the rod 10 with the supporting member 11 is lowered to a position suitable for delivering the specimen. After the specimen has been delivered, the supporting member can be returned to the first position by performing the described displacements in the reverse order. Thus, an arbitrary number of specimens can be fully automatically examined, for example in an X-ray analysis apparatus. The stroke can be readily influenced by securing the arm 17 and/or the ring 25 on the bush in the desired locations. In order to restrict the reciprocating motion, for example adjustable abutments (not shown) can be provided in order to limit, for example the pivoting of the arm 23. The arm 22 of the described embodiment reciprocates under the influence of the drive motor 20. However, it is alternatively possible to construct the transmission formed by the arm 23 and the pin/slotted hole link so that a desired reciprocating motion of the arm 11 is also realized when the motor rotates in only one direction. It will be apparent that a plurality of modifications of and/or additions to the embodiment described with reference to the Figures are feasible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the rod 10 and the sleeve bearings 8 and 9 accommodating the rod 10 may have a non-round cross-section, with the result that the rod will still be slidable in its longitudinal direction with respect to the bush, but the bush 6 and the piston 7 rotate together with the rod.

Claims: A sample exchanging device for analysis apparatus comprising a rod (10) being reciprocatingly displaceable in a longitudinal direction and rotatable about an axis directed in said longitudinal direction, supporting means (11) connected to the rod for handling the samples extending transversely to the rod, an adjustable arm (17) extending outwardly from the rod, motor drive means (20, 23, 24) for driving the adjustable arm to rotate about the axis of the rod, characterized in that drive means for reciprocating the rod in said longitudinal direction, include a piston cylinder (1) having means (26, 27) for admitting or extracting pressurized fluid to or from the piston cylinder, a bush (6) supporting the rod and extending through the piston cylinder to the adjustable arm, a piston (7) in the piston cylinder (1) being secured to the bush, the piston and the bush being displaceable parallel to the centre line of said bush by admission or extraction of pressurized fluid, and means for restricting longitudinal displacement of the rod with respect to said bush in at least one direction. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the adjustable arm includes the means for restricting longitudinal displacement of the rod, the adjustable arm restricting downward movement of the rod with respect to the bush. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that adjustable arm is secured to the rod, the adjustable arm being slidable with respect to the rod, and the adjustable arm bein locked to the rod at a desired position. A device as claimed in claim 3 characterized in that the bush includes an abutment member secured to the bush at a side of the piston cylinder remote from the adjustable arm, the abutment member being displaceable with respect to the bush in a longitudinal direction of the bush. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bush includes an abutment member secured to the bush at a side of the piston cylinder remote from the adjusteable arm, the abutment member being displaceable with respect to the bush in a longitudinal direction of the bush. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rod is supported in the bush by sleeve bearings (8,9) disposed near ends of the bush.

Inventors: ZWIJNENBURG, JAN
Applicants: N.V. PHILIPS' GLOEILAMPENFABRIEKEN
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G01N35
IPC codes: G01N35, H01J49, G01N1, G01N23