US 5,181,443 AGranted

Device for controlling the drive and forward feed of microtomes, particularly ultramicrotomes

OwnerHellmuth Sitte, Helmut Hassig +2inventors

InventorsHellmuth Sitte, Helmut Hassig, Armin Kunz, Klaus Neumann

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Abstract

A device for controlling the drive and forward feed of a microtome, particularly an ultramicrotome, includes a driving motor for moving a specimen or knife and a servomotor for generating a forward feed of the specimen towards an edge of the knife or vice versa. A high travelling speed of the specimen needed for rapid initial cutting is coupled to a high rate of forward feed. One single switching operation is performed, for instance, by a snap-engaging step switch via relay switches. The driving motor and the servomotor can be simultaneously switched over to pairs of values which correspond to subsequent rough cutting and ultra-thin cutting. Individual values for cutting speed and forward feed are separately preselected, readjusted, and read from a display. Selected program stages are indicated by signals.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A control device for controlling the operation of a microtome, particularly an ultramicrotome, wherein a specimen and a knife are relatively moved to cut sections from the specimen, said control device comprising:

a driving motor for moving one of the knife and the specimen at a cutting speed to cut sections from the specimen;
at least one servomotor for advancing at least one of the knife and the specimen toward the other at a rate of feed to regulate the thickness of the section cut from the specimen;
and
means for simultaneously changing both the value of said cutting speed produced by said driving motor and the value of said rate of feed produced by said at least one servomotor, said changing means comprising a switching arrangement operatively associated both with said driving motor and with said at least one servomotor and actuatable by a switching element for changing said values.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.