Method and apparatus for detecting and controlling imbalance conditions in a centrifuge system
AssigneeThermo IEC, Inc.
InventorsRobert R. Evans, III, Dara McMahon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling a centrifuge system, the centrifuge system including a rotor and a motor operatively coupled to the rotor, the apparatus including an accelerometer coupled to the centrifuge system so as to measure an acceleration of at least a portion of the centrifuge system during operation of the centrifuge system to provide an acceleration signal, a filter that receives the acceleration signal and provides a filtered acceleration signal, and a controller that receives the displacement signal and controls the centrifuge system in response to the displacement signal.
Claims33
An apparatus for controlling a centrifuge system, the centrifuge system including a rotor and a motor operatively coupled to the rotor, the apparatus comprising:
- an accelerometer coupled to the centrifuge system so as to measure an acceleration of at least a portion of the centrifuge system during operation of the centrifuge system to provide an acceleration signal;
- an integrator that receives the acceleration signal and integrates the acceleration signal to provide a displacement signal that represents a displacement of at least one of the motor and the rotor of the centrifuge system;
- and
- a controller that receives the displacement signal and controls the centrifuge system in response to the displacement signal.
An apparatus for controlling a centrifuge system, the centrifuge system including a rotor and a motor operatively coupled to the rotor, the apparatus comprising:
- means for measuring an acceleration of at least a portion of the centrifuge system during the operation of the centrifuge system to provide an acceleration signal;
- a filter including an integrator that receives the acceleration signal and integrates the acceleration signal to provide a displacement signal that represents a displacement of at least one of the motor and the rotor of the centrifuge system;
- and
- means for controlling the centrifuge system in response to the displacement signal.
A method of controlling a centrifuge system, the centrifuge system including a rotor and a motor operatively coupled to the rotor, the method comprising the steps of:
- measuring an acceleration of at least a portion of the centrifuge system during operation of the centrifuge system to provide an acceleration signal;
- integrating the acceleration signal to provide a displacement signal that represents a displacement of at least one of the motor and the rotor of the centrifuge system;
- and
- controlling the centrifuge system in response to the displacement signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.