Safety locking mechanism
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorWilliam David Webb, Sr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A safety lock for a centrifuge prevents the opening of the rotor housing if the rotor is in operation and conversely prevents the rotor from being operated if the rotor housing is not latched and locked. A plunger linked to a cam follower is used to lock a door latch and to sense its latched or unlatched condition. The position of the cam follower and hence of the plunger is sensed by plural switches. The cam follower is biased by a spring to normally urge the plunger into a locking position with the latch. A drive cam, actuated under the control of the plural switches, withdraws the plunger to unlock the latch and releases the cam follower to permit the plunger to snap into a locking position.
Claims13
A safety locking mechanism for a closure assembly on a compartment housing a centrifuge rotor to be protected against, said rotor having a driving motor, said mechanism having a mechanical linkage positionable to lock and unlock said closure assembly when said assembly is in a lockable position comprising, in combination,
- driven means connected to position said mechanical linkage to lock and unlock said closure assembly,
- prime mover means for driving said driven means and hence said mechanical linkage in a first sense to a first position when said rotor is stopped;
- spring means for driving said driven means in a second sense opposite said first sense to a second position to lock said closure assembly when said assembly is in said lockable position, and
- first sensing means electrically coupled to said motor and responsive to said driven means being in said second position for enabling said motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.