Laboratory apparatus with a control device

• US 20070132723A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eppendorf Se
• Original Assignee: Eppendorf AG
• Inventors: Kleindienst, Roland, Muller, Heiko, Lurz, Werner, Meyer, Wolfram
• Granted Patent: US 8,009,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/027 Digital display, e.g. LCD, LED
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 7/02 Casings; Lids shock absorbers, vibration dampers F16F
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 7/06 Safety devices ; Regulating
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00871 Communications between instruments or with remote terminals

Abstract

A laboratory apparatus having at least one control device (4) comprising an electric printed-circuit board (15) of the control device (4) that is disposed on an instrument body (2) of the laboratory apparatus (1) and has at least one electric control element (16, 18), at least one operator interface (6) of the control device (4) including at least one operator control (11, 33); a retaining device (29, 30) for detachably holding the operator interface (6) on the instrument body (2) with the operator control (11, 33) oriented to the control element (16, 18), and a mechanical and/or magnetic connection for detachably joining the control element (16, 18) mechanically and/or magnetically to the operator control (11, 33).

Claims

1. A laboratory apparatus having at least one control device (4) comprising:

an electric printed-circuit board (15) of the control device (4) that is disposed on an instrument body (2) of the laboratory apparatus (1) and has at least one electric control element (16, 18), at least one operator interface (6) of the control device (4) including at least one operator control (11, 33);

a retaining device (29, 30) for detachably holding the operator interface (6) on the instrument body (2) with the operator control (11, 33) oriented to the control element (16, 18), and a mechanical and/or magnetic connection for detachably joining the control element (16, 18) mechanically and/or magnetically to the operator control (11, 33).

2. The laboratory apparatus, specifically according to claim 1, comprising:

at least one control device (4) with at least one electric control element (16, 18) and at least one operator control (11, 33) connected thereto;

a retaining device (29, 30) for detachably holding the control device (4) on an instrument body (2) of the laboratory apparatus (1), and an electric connection for releasably joining the control device (4), which is held on the instrument body (2), electrically to the instrument body (2).

3. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of operator interfaces (6) or control devices (4) with at least one operator control (11, 33) of different types for exchangeably holding a selected operator interface (6) or control device (4) on the instrument body (2) of the laboratory apparatus (1) by means of the retaining device (29, 30).

4. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one operator control (11, 33) is a press key and/or rotary knob.

5. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 3 wherein various operator interfaces (6) or control devices (4) differ from each other in that at least one rotary knob (11) is present in place of at least one press key (33), or vice versa.

6. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 4 wherein at least one control device (4) has a substantially flat operator interface with at least one press key (33).

7. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the control device (4) has a touch-sensitive membrane keyboard (7.1).

8. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 6 wherein all of the operator controls (11, 33) of the control device are a touch-sensitive membrane keys.

9. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the operator interface (6) has at least one flexible interfacial element (33) which, when the operator interface (6) is held on the instrument body (2), has an inside abutted directly, or via an adapter button (36) indirectly, to the front face of a push-button switch (16) disposed on the printed-circuit board (15).

10. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the operator interface (6) comprises a rigid operator interface bottom portion (27) with at least one hole (31) partially accommodating the front face of a push-button switch (16) or adapter button (36) and a membrane (28) disposed at the outside of the interface bottom portion (27).

11. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 10 wherein at least one adapter button (36) which plunges into a hole (31) of the operator interface bottom portion (27) and into a hole (35) of the perforated mask (36) and has a circumferentially-sided protrusion (37) is arranged to be axially slidable between the operator interface bottom portion (27) and at least one perforated mask (34) attached to the operator interface bottom portion (27).

12. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 4 wherein at least one operator interface (6) has at least one rotary knob (11) of the outside, an axis of rotation (40) joined to the rotary knob (11) and penetrating through the operator interface (6), an angle encoder (18) joined to the axis of rotation and disposed on the printed-circuit board (15), and a detachable connection fixed for rotation between the rotary knob (11) and the angle encoder (18).

13. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 12 wherein at least one axis of rotation (40) penetrating through a hole (35) of the perforated mask and having an annular disk (41) is disposed between the operator interface bottom portion (27) and at least one perforated mask (34) attached to the operator interface bottom portion (27).

14. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the axis of rotation (40) has a snap-fit connection fixed for rotation with the angle encoder (18).

15. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a display (10) of a display device (17) is visible in a window (38) of the control device (4).

16. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the printed-circuit board (15) carries a display device (17) and the operator interface (6) has the window (38).

17. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the control device (4) has a casing bottom portion (5) disposed on the instrument body (2) in which the printed-circuit board (15) is held and which has the retaining device (29, 30) for detachably holding the operator interface (6) on the casing bottom portion (5).

18. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 17 wherein a pivoting holder (11) for pivotably holding the casing bottom portion (5) on the instrument body (2) exists between the casing bottom portion (5) and instrument body (2).

19. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 18 wherein a dententing device (13) for the casing bottom portion (5) in different pivoting positions with respect to the instrument body (2) exists between the casing bottom portion (5) and instrument body (2).

20. A laboratory apparatus with a control device (4), specifically according to any one of claims 1 to 19, comprising:

at least a pair of keys (33) one key of which serves for increasing a setting and the other key serving for decreasing the same setting, and at least on angle encoder (18) with an detachable rotary knob (11) for the adjustment of the same setting.

21. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the rotary knob (11) or an axis (40) connected thereto at least partially penetrates through a hole (32, 43) in an operator interface (6), and which hole has a stopper which is adapted to be forced into the hole when the rotary knob (11) is detached from the angle encoder (18).

22. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 1 which has a locking device which prevents the operator interface (6) or control device (4) or rotary knob (11) from becoming loose when the centrifuge is turned on or a certain centrifuge function is activated.

23. The laboratory apparatus according to claim 1 which is a laboratory centrifuge or sample preparation apparatus.