Patent CH-704905-A2 (CH)
Title: Device for storing and handling petri dishes, comprises storage device for supporting petri dishes with lid, inspection device for automated inspection of petri dishes without lid, and transfer device for transferring petri dishes
Inventor: MALIN COSMAS
IPC: G01N35/02
Filed: 2011-05-06
Abstract: The device comprises a storage device for supporting petri dishes with a lid, an inspection device (2) for automated inspection of the petri dishes without the lid, and a transfer device (3) for transferring the petri dishes between the storage device and the inspection device. The transfer device comprises a gripper, with which each petri dish is laterally gripped without the lid at a bottom wall. The petri dishes comprise a bottom and the lid, where a bottom wall is arranged at a circumference of the bottom. The transfer device comprises a transfer station (4). The device comprises a storage device for supporting petri dishes with a lid, an inspection device (2) for automated inspection of the petri dishes without the lid, and a transfer device (3) for transferring the petri dishes between the storage device and the inspection device. The transfer device comprises a gripper, with which each petri dish is laterally gripped without the lid at a bottom wall. The petri dishes comprise a bottom and the lid, where a bottom wall is arranged at a circumference of the bottom. The transfer device comprises: a transfer station (4) for receiving the petri dish with a bottom lid, from which each petri dish is gripped without the lid by the gripper; a turning drive, with which the gripper is vertically reversible with a recorded bottom of the petri dish above the lid lying in the transfer station; and a horizontal drive, with which the gripper is backwardly movable from the transfer device for the inspection device. A turning drive is reversible at more than 90[deg] . The device further comprises: a lifting actuator, with which the gripper is vertically displaceable relative to the transfer station; two transfer stations, both of which are movable. A common lift drive is provided for the both transfer stations. The device is adapted to hold the lid during the inspection through the inspection device with the gripper. The storage device includes a storage place for the petri dishes with the bottom lid, and/or an envelope device to transport the petri dishes between the storage places and the transfer device. The envelope device is arranged for transferring the petri dishes between the storage places and the transfer station without turning the petri dish. The storage places are formed from storage shafts, where each storage shaft comprises the storage places one above the other. The storage shafts are arranged on a carrousel. The envelope device comprises two vertically movable carriages, which are arranged one above the other on a common lift column. The gripper comprises two mutually movable fingers, which comprise three elevations oppositely directed to an impact of the wall of the petri dishes. One of the fingers has a spring, which carries a base portion, where one of the elevations is arranged at the base portion. Two arc-shaped fixing elements are provided for the lid of the petri dish by which the lid is flexibly and temporarily controlled. The fixing elements are arranged at a transfer table of the transfer station. The transfer device for the transfer station comprises a common carrier plate for both transfer stations and the gripper, on which the transfer station or the transfer stations and the grippers are arranged, where a single-piece carrier plate is an L-shaped carrier plate. The transfer device in an area of the gripper comprises a temporarily controllable turn-off optical sensor, which is arranged and designed for detecting a presence and/or absence of the petri dish into the gripper. The sensor at each transfer station is provided for the presence and/or absence of the lid into the transfer station. The gripper is designed in such a way that the gripper of a basic position is present in a snatching state, where the fixing element is designed in such a way that the fixing element of the basic position is present in an opened non-fixing position. The gripper comprises two fingers, which are arranged respectively on a shaft that is movably controlled away from each other. Each finger is fixed in a horizontal plane pivotally mounted on the shaft, is independently fixed in a normal position centering to the shaft, and is fixed with its backside via a flat spring to the shaft. The fingers of the gripper are designed and arranged for a point-shaped contact by end portions of the fingers. The fingers of the gripper are formed from the base portion and an exchange part detachably attached to the base portion. The exchange part is configured to the point-shaped contact the exchange part is made of spring steel. The gripper is designed in such a way that a size of an angle from a center of a gripping portion is provided to be extreme for contacting the petri dish. A contact part of the fingers of the gripper is 90[deg] . The storage device on its wall comprises a second auxiliary door, on which the transfer device is located. The second auxiliary door is present below a first auxiliary door. A lifting device comprises the sensor by which the presence and/or absence of the petri dish is ascertainable. Independent claims are included for: (1) a storage device; and (2) a storage shaft.