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US 6,663,553 B2Granted
Rotor locator for a centrifuge
AssigneeGentra Systems, Inc.
InventorsGlenn M. Campbell, Jr., Douglas J. Kluge, Glenn M. Campbell, Sr., Ellen M. Heath, Ruth Shuman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotor locator and centrifuge body locator includes a pair of locator arms that close about the rotor shaft and an alignment pin to center the rotor shaft. A registration mechanism rotates the rotor shaft and the centrifuge body until it reaches a known home position. A method of consistently registering the centrifuge body includes centering a rotor shaft of the body along a known center line and aligning the body to a home position both before and after centrifugation.
Claims8
A centrifuge, comprising:
- a rotatable centrifuge body having a plurality of centrifuge buckets and a cover;
- a drive motor coupled to a rotor shaft to rotate the centrifuge body, the rotor shaft within the centrifuge body;
- and
- a rotor locator to move the centrifuge body to a known position;
- wherein the rotor locator comprises:
- first and second locator arms, the first and the second locator arms each having first and second notches therein, each of the first and the second locator arms movable between a first centrifuge operating position in which the arms are separated, and a second locating position in which the first and second notches of the first locator arm substantially align with the first and second notches, respectively, of the second locator arm to form first and second openings when the arms are in the second position;
- a locator pin around which the locator arm first notches form when the locator arms move to their second position;
- and
- wherein the locator arm second notches constrain the rotor shaft to a predetermined position when the locator arms move to their second position.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.