Sample collector and components thereof

• US 8,883,090 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne Instruments Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Teledyne Instruments Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fiedler, Robert R., Nabity, Frederick A., Walters, Henry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WRIGHT, PATRICIA KATHRYN
• Application Number:
  US11/430,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,108 Days
• Field of Search: 422/99, 422/104
• US Class Current: 422/501
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 19/02 plug-in type
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/00 General constructional features F25D21/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 31/006 specially adapted for cooling receptacles, e.g. tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2280/04 Means for preventing wrong assembling of parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2451 Incremental encoders G01D5/2454 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2458 with incremental and absolute tracks on separate encoders
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/3473 Circular or rotary encoders
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/42 Low-temperature sample treatment, e.g. cryofixation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00425 Heating or cooling means associated with pipettes or the like, e.g. for supplying sample/reagent at given temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0491 Position sensing, encoding; closed-loop control
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1011 Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49359 Cooling apparatus making, e.g., air conditioner, refrigerator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53113 Heat exchanger

Abstract

To provide a protective coat on a refrigerated sample collector for a corrosive environment a unitary frame includes a support unit with condenser and evaporator coils mounted to the support unit and an orifice connecting the condenser and evaporator coils. The evaporator coils, condenser coils and a restrictor are powder coated after being connected, whereby an effective seal is provided for the restrictor, condenser coils and evaporator coils after they are assembled to the support. The unitary frame can be easily removed or connected as a unit to the sample collector. The bottle rack for the sample collector is made by injection molding two halves of the rack each of which has a matching surface and a bottle positioning surface. The matching surfaces are fastened together by placing the matching surfaces together back to back whereby locating members are spaced apart a sufficient distance.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising:

a microcontroller;

a distributer arm;

at least one bottle;

a stepping motor configured for positioning said distributor arm;

an index disk coupled to said distributor arm and configured to rotate with said distributor arm, said index disk having a plurality of code locations formed of light passing portions and opaque portions oriented in a single radius at a periphery of said index disc, each of said plurality of code locations indicating a unique position on said index disk, said light passing portions further including narrow light passing slots and wide light passing slots, said narrow light passing slots are code identification characters and said wide light passing slots are code characters, said code identification characters indicating a presence of at least one code character, said at least one code character having one code identification character angularly positioned on a first side of said at least one code character and one code identification character angularly positioned on an opposite side of said at least one code character; and

a single index position sensor configured for;

transmitting a light signal through said periphery of said index disk;

sensing said light passing portions; and

transmitting said indicator to said microcontroller;

wherein a size of said narrow light passing slots corresponds to a number of pulses applied to said stepping motor as said narrow slot moves through said index position sensor, a size of each wide light passing slot corresponds to a multiple of said number of pulses, at least one code character generates said unique position on said index disk;

wherein said microcontroller is configured for;

receiving said indicator;

determining, from said indicator, said presence of at least one code character, said presence of at least one code character identified by said indicator sensing said code identification character followed by said code character;

determining, from said indicator, a numeric value of said code character;

determining said unique position on said index disk from said numeric value receiving a command to move said distributer arm over a bottle;

determining a unique position on said index disk associated with said bottle;

controlling each step of said stepping motor via issuing a signal for said each step;

calculating a distance between said unique position on said index disk and said unique position on said index disk associated with said bottle;

issuing a signal to said stepping motor to rotate said index disk directly to said unique position on said index disk associated with said bottle.

2. A positioning system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said microcontroller further comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium having non-transitory computer readable program code embodied therein for positioning said distributor arm, the computer readable program code comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer device or processor, perform and direct the steps of:

receiving said indicator;

determining, from said indicator, said presence of at least one code character, said presence of at least one code character identified by said indicator sensing said code identification character followed by said code character;

determining, from said indicator, a numeric value of said code character;

determining said unique position on said index disk from said numeric value;

receiving a command to move said distributer arm over a bottle;

determining a unique position on said index disk associated with said bottle;

controlling each step of said stepping motor via issuing a signal for said each step;

calculating a distance between said unique position on said index disk and said unique position on said index disk associated with said bottle;

issuing a signal to said stepping motor to rotate said index disk directly to said unique position on said index disk associated with said bottle.

3. A positioning system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said opaque portions and said light passing portions are formed lithographically.

4. A positioning system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said opaque portions and said light passing portions are stamped.

5. A positioning system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said microcontroller, stepping motor, distributor arm, index disk, and index position sensor are configured to be enclosed within a refrigerated sampler.