Patent EP-1354028-B1 (EP)
Inventor: MALIN COSMAS G
IPC: C12M1/00
Filed: 2002-01-25
Granted: 2007-09-19
Abstract: The air-conditioned cupboard, for the storage of materials in substance research and microbiology, has a conditioned chamber (2) with an air conditioning system to control the temperature and atmosphere within the chamber, which has a number of storage spaces for the materials. The chamber has a change-over unit (620) to manipulate the stored materials. A common control sets the working of the air conditioning and the material manipulation. The air-conditioned cupboard, for the storage of research sample materials, has an interface for a host system to control the air conditioning and material manipulation. The chamber has an auxiliary door, opened automatically by the control, for the movement of materials into and out of the chamber. The control is structured so that, on opening the door, any heat and/or gas exchange through the open door is blocked by the air conditioning, without waiting for signal changes from the sensors. A scanner identifies the materials in the chamber by their markings, and the control monitors the dwell time of each material sample in the chamber. The control is in the air-conditioned cupboard. The air conditioning has a heat and a cooler unit, as overlaid metal layers, with an air gap between the cooling unit and the inner wall of the chamber. The cooling unit is shrouded from the exterior by a hermetically sealed insulation layer of one or more mats, sealed at their joints. The mats are bonded to the cooling unit by an adhesive. The chamber has an inner transparent door, and an outer solid door (210), and at least the outer door can be heated. A heated seal (230) seals the chamber against the doors. The chamber has a refrigeration system with a compressor and a condenser and an auxiliary valve, which is opened to bridge over the condenser. The cooling action, on a continuously operating condenser, is controlled by switching the auxiliary valve on and off. At least one temperature monitoring system is in contact with one or more of the samples stored in the chamber. The samples are put into contact temporarily with the monitors as the manipulation mechanism moves them in and out of position. The temperature monitoring system is outside the chamber, and can be heated to raise the temperature of a sample before insertion into the chamber. At least one temperature monitor is within the chamber, to reduce the sample temperature after insertion, using a heat reservoir with a temperature matching the inner temperature in the chamber. The chamber has a self-centering system coupled to an external unit, and especially a sample conveyor. The sample storage space and the sample manipulator are mounted to a common base plate, pressed against horizontal limit stops, in an adjusted position against the centering unit. At least a part of the chamber walls (221-224) have edges bent at right angles for the mounting of the neighboring wall, with screw fasteners for the front and real walls at the bent edges. The manipulation unit has a paddle holder (625) in one corner of the chamber, which swings on a vertical axis and can be moved parallel to the vertical axis. The holder carries a paddle (621), which can be extended over the leading end (625a) of the holder by a drive (624) at the trailing end (625b) of the holder. A longitudinal axis of the paddle drive has a vertical alignment. The assembly has a counterweight (640) at the rotary axis of the turntable for weight compensation on vertical movements, with a flat belt (643) to deflect the forces. The chamber has at least one rotating turntable (611), with a number of spaces to hold the samples around the turntable axis. The samples are held in storage spaces in a vertical stack, in storage shafts (650) which can be removed from the chamber by the manipulator. A number of storage shafts can be placed over each other on the turntable(s). Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) sample storage shafts, composed of two interconnected side walls with openings, and a vertical array of storage levels to hold the samples. The storage shelves are formed by webs, as metal components in a positive or force fit with the side walls; and (2) the operation of an air-conditioned storage cupboard, with a cooling unit which actively counters heat generated by the operation of the manipulating unit, and acts automatically if the heat level within the chamber is higher than the ambient temperature.