TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED CENTRIFUGE

• US 3,600,900 A
• Filed: 11/03/1969
• Issued: 08/24/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles Lee Buddecke
• Original Assignee: Charles Lee Buddecke
• Inventors: Buddecke, Charles Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Wye, William J.
• Application Number:
  US04/873,286
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 62/3 34/5 233/11 1/26
• US Class Current: 62/3.2
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 15/02 for cooling, heating, or heat insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 5/0414 comprising test tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 5/0421 pivotably mounted
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/04 reversible

Abstract

Peltier effect thermoelectric devices are mounted in a rotatable centrifuge head. Thermal conduction paths are attached between the thermoelectric devices and a position adjacent to the specimen being rotated in the centrifuge. A temperaturecontrolled device responds to the difference between a preselected temperature and the temperature of the specimen for maintaining the fluid at the preselected temperature.

Claims

1. A centrifuge comprising:

a rotatable head including a plurality of cavities each configured for holding a vial to be centrifuged in good contact with the walls thereof, said walls of said cavities having good thermal conductivity and being thermally insulated from said rotatable head, temperature-sensing means located in said walls of said cavities for sensing the temperature of the cavity, thermoelectric means mounted to said rotatable head for regulating the temperature of each of said cavities, thermal conduction means connecting said walls of said cavities to said thermoelectric means for effecting heat transfer therebetween, and means responsive to said temperature-sensing means for controlling said thermoelectric means whereby the temperature of each of said cavities is maintained within a preselected range.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 further comprising, means for comparing the difference between a predetermined temperature and the temperature of a predetermined cavity including means for generating a control signal as a function of said difference, said thermoelectric means being responsive to said conTrol signal for maintaining said temperature difference within a predetermined range.

3. A centrifuge comprising, a rotatable head including a plurality of cavities with each of said cavities suitable for holding a vial containing a fluid to be centrifuged, temperature-sensing means mounted adjacent to each of said cavities for sensing the temperature of each cavity, thermoelectric means mounted to said rotatable head in thermal contact with each of said cavities and in electrical contact with said temperature-sensing means, means responsive to the differences between a preselected temperature and the temperature of each of said cavities for controlling said thermoelectric means to effect heat transfer between each of said cavities and said thermoelectric means whereby the temperature of each of said cavities is maintained within a preselected range.

4. The centrifuge of claim further comprising first means for coupling current in the proper direction to said thermoelectric means from said means responsive to the differences between a preselected temperature and the temperature of each of said cavities of the centrifuge to cause said thermoelectric means to heat a specimen contained in said rotatable head and second coil means for coupling current in the proper direction to said thermoelectric device to cause said thermoelectric device to cool a specimen contained in said cavity, said heating and cooling of said cavities effected by heat transfer in heat conduction means attached between each thermoelectric device and an associated cavity.

5. The centrifuge of claim 3 further comprising field coil and armature coil means for coupling current to said thermoelectric means from said means for controlling said thermoelectric means, to cause said thermoelectric device to regulate the temperature of the specimen under centrifuge.

6. The centrifuge of claim 3 wherein said rotatable head is a removable container-type centrifuge head wherein a plurality of removable containers containing said cavities are supported by arms extending from said head.

7. The centrifuge of claim 3 wherein said means for controlling said thermoelectric means is capacitively coupled to a conditioned response from said temperature-sensing means.

8. A centrifuge comprising, A rotatable head including supports for a plurality of container means, each of said container means rotatably engaged in said supports and including a cavity suitable for holding material to be centrifuged, said cavity thermally isolated from said head, thermoelectric means mounted to each of said container means for regulating the temperature of said material in said container means, temperature-sensing means mounted in said container for sensing the temperature of said material in said container, and temperature control means responsive to the temperature difference between a preselected temperature and the temperature of said material under centrifuge for controlling said thermoelectric means.

9. The centrifuge of claim 8 wherein heat conduction means providing a path for heat transfer therebetween connect said thermoelectric means with the inside of said container means.

10. The centrifuge of claim 8 wherein said temperature control means is mounted to a nonrotating member of said centrifuge, a first output of said temperature control means being inductively coupled to said thermoelectric mean and a second output of said temperature control means being capacitively coupled to a conditioned output of said temperature-sensing means.

11. A method for controlling the temperature of a specimen being rotated by a centrifuge, said method consisting of the steps of, placing the specimen in a container attached to but thermally isolated from a rotatable head of said centrifuge;

providing thermal paths in said contain adjacent the specimen under centrifuge;

sensing the temperature of said specimen;

causing the flow of thermal energy in said thermal paths;

And regulating said flow of thermal energy to maintain the specimen under centrifuge within a preselected temperature range.