US 9,606,026 B2Granted

Cutting stroke adjustment of a rotary microtome

AssigneeHans Heid

InventorHans Ludwid Heid

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Abstract

A rotary microtome (1) for producing thin sections for histology is used for specimens (6) of different sizes. To maintain optimized cutting conditions, an adaptation to different specimen sizes is required without incurring disadvantages in terms of operation. An adjustment possibility is provided for the length of the vertical cutting movement (10). However, the moment that is generated by the vertical carriage (7) and that acts on the drive shaft (12) then changes. To maintain balanced moments of the drive movement, the counterweight has to be accordingly adapted by an adjustment weight (31). For this purpose, means are provided which, in an ergonomic and effective manner, permit the adjustment of the cutting stroke and also the necessary adaptation of the counterweights in one operation step. The rotary microtome according to the invention is suitable in particular in a histological routine in which mixed specimens are present in standard cassettes and also in macro-cassettes and in which, therefore, a rapid change of the cutting stroke length is desired along with good balance of the drive movement.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A rotary microtome (1) with a vertical carriage (7) performing a cutting stroke, a driving shaft (12) for generating a vertical cutting movement (10), a cutting stroke adjustment unit of the cutting stroke and with a counterweight (11′) and an adjustment weight (31) with an adjustable compensation mass,

the microtome comprising, that the driving shaft (12) is formed as a hollow shaft which has an opening on a lateral surface area of said hollow shaft, that a crank pin adjustment unit (22) is connected on an output side of the driving shaft (12), which is forming with an adjustable crank pin a crank arm of a circular driving movement, that a control element (30) is located opposed to the output side of the driving shaft (12) in extension of the driving shaft (12), that a weight adjustment unit (34) is placed on a segment between two shaft ends of the driving shaft (12), whereby a guidance (32) of the adjustment weight (31) is connected directly to the driving shaft (12) or indirectly via the handwheel (3), that the control element (30) activates translational or rotatory acting adjustment means, which are located inside the driving shaft (12) and which drive simultaneously in a single operation the crank pin adjustment unit (22) as well as the weight adjustment unit (34), which is driven thru the opening in the lateral surface of the driving shaft (12) by the inside located adjustment means (29), providing that a moment of force, which is generated from the weight of the vertical carriage (7) at a crank pin (18) multiplied with a lever arm between a medial axis of the driving shaft (12) and a medial axis of the crank pin (18), will be compensated for any angle of the circular driving motion of the driving shaft (12) by an algebraic sum of partial moments of force generated from the counterweight (11′) and the adjustment weight (31) multiplied with their respective lever arms from their centers of mass to the medial axis of the driving shaft (12).

the microtome comprising, that the driving shaft (12) is formed as a hollow shaft which has an opening on a lateral surface area of said hollow shaft, that a crank pin adjustment unit (22) is connected on an output side of the driving shaft (12), which is forming with an adjustable crank pin a crank arm of a circular driving movement, that an electrically powered actuator (47) is located inside of the driving shaft (12) which is mounted with its housing fixedly to the inside of the driving shaft (12) and which is supplied electrically via slider contacts (49) on the driving shaft (12) or the handwheel (3) and the actuator (47) being actuated by a control unit (52) which itself is triggered by an operational command to an operational unit (53), that a weight adjustment unit (34) is placed on a segment between two shaft ends of the driving shaft (12), whereby a guidance (32) of the adjustment weight (31) is connected directly to the driving shaft (12) or indirectly via the handwheel (3), that the actuator (47) activates translational or rotatory acting adjustment means (29), which are located inside the driving shaft (12) and which drive simultaneously at a single command the crank pin adjustment unit (22) as well as the weight adjustment unit (34), which is driven thru the opening in the lateral surface of the driving shaft (12) by the inside located adjustment means (29), providing that a moment of force, which is generated from the weight of the vertical carriage (7) at a crank pin (18) multiplied with a lever arm between a medial axis of the driving shaft (12) and a medial axis of the crank pin (18), will be compensated for any angle of the circular driving motion of the driving shaft (12) by an algebraic sum of partial moments of force generated from the counterweight (11′) and the adjustment weight (31) multiplied with their respective lever arms from their centers of mass to the medial axis of the driving shaft (12).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/825,326Filed 21 Sep 2011
Priority: DE 10 2010 046 49824 Sep 2010
Published: US 2013/0186248 A125 Jul 2013
Granted: 28 Mar 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G01N 1/06
In the solid state, e.g. by cutting: providing a thin slice, e.g. microtome
G01N 2001/065
Providing a thin slice, e.g. microtome: drive details
Y10T 83/87
Means to change datum plane of tool or tool presser stroke: by varying length of tool stroke
G01N
Investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties