Pressure-actuated centrifuge chuck and centrifuge incorporating the same

Claim 2

A centrifuge in which a rotor is held in a chuck for spinning, comprising in combination a. a rotor, the base of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface and a central circular alignment surface; b. a chuck, the upper surface of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral chuck registration surface substantially corresponding in size to said rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface substantially corresponding in size and area to said downwardly inclined surface of said rotor base and defining therewith an evacuatable space, and a shallow central well corresponding in diameter to said central circular alignment surface of said rotor; c. sealing means adapted to form a fluid tight seal between the peripheral registration surfaces of said rotor and said chuck; d. a rotatable spindle adapted to support and rotate said chuck; e. driving means adapted to rotate said spindle; f. evacuating means; and g. fluid communication means connecting said evacuating means and said evacuatable space defined between said rotor base and said chuck surface.

Claim 3

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sealing means is a relatively large soft elastomeric ring.

Claim 4

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fluid communication means comprises a fluid passage within said spindle, means to define a fluid passage around a portion of said spindle, port means connecting said fluid passage in said spindle with said fluid passage around said spindle, and means to connect said fluid passage with said evacuating means.

Claim 5

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 1 wherein said evacuating means is a vacuum tank.

Claim 6

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 1 wherein said evacuating means is a vacuum pump.

Claim 7

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 1 including switch means responsive to pressures within said fluid communication means, said switch means being adapted to control the operation of said driving means.

Claim 8

A centrifuge in which a rotor is held in a chuck for spinning, comprising in Combination a. a rotor, the base of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface and a central circular alignment surface; b. a chuck, the upper surface of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral chuck registration surface substantially corresponding in size to said rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface substantially corresponding in size and area to said downwardly inclined surface of said rotor base and defining therewith an evacuatable space, and a shallow central well corresponding in diameter to said central circular alignment surface of said rotor and defining with said alignment surface an auxiliary evacuatable spacing in fluid communication with said evacuatable spacing; c. sealing means adapted to form a fluid tight seal between the peripheral registration surfaces of said rotor and said chuck; d. a rotatable spindle adapted to support and rotate said chuck and defining through at least a portion of its length an internal fluid passage opening at its top end into said auxiliary evacuatable spacing; e. heavy-walled tubing means surrounding said spindle below said chuck and defining around said spindle an annular spacing; f. rotary seal means within said annular passage and defining a fluid-tight annular passage around said spindle; g. a port in the wall of said spindle providing fluid communication between said internal fluid passage in said spindle and said fluid tight annular passage; h. evacuating means; i. fluid communication means connecting said annular passage with said evacuating means and with the atmosphere; j. fluid flow control means in said fluid communication means and being adapted to connect said evacuatable space through said auxiliary evacuatable space, said internal fluid passage in said spindle, said annular fluid passage and said fluid communication means with either said evacuating means or the atmosphere; and k. driving means adapted to rotate said spindle.

Claim 9

A centrifuge in which a rotor is held in a chuck for spinning, comprising in Combination a. a rotor, the base of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface and a central circular alignment surface; b. a chuck, the upper surface of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral chuck registration surface substantially corresponding in size to said rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface substantially corresponding in size and area to said downwardly inclined surface of said rotor base and defining therewith an evacuatable space, and a shallow central well corresponding in diameter to said central circular alignment surface of said rotor and defining with said alignment surface an auxiliary evacuatable spacing in fluid communication with said evacuatable spacing; c. sealing means adapted to form a fluid tight seal between the peripheral registration surfaces of said rotor and said chuck; d. a rotatable spindle adapted to support and rotate said chuck and defining through at least a portion of its length an internal fluid passage opening at its top end into said auxiliary evacuatable spacing; e. heavy-walled tubing means surrounding said spindle below said chuck and defining around said spindle an annular spacing; f. rotary seal means within said annular passage and defining a fluid-tight annular passage around said spindle; g. a port in the wall of said spindle providing fluid communication between said internal fluid passage in said spindle and said fluid tight annular passage; h. evacuating means; i. fluid communication means connecting said annular passage with said evacuating means and with the atmosphere; j. fluid flow control means in said fluid communication means and being adapted to connect said evacuatable space through said auxiliary evacuatable space, said internal fluid passage in said spindle, said annular fluid passage and said fluid communication means with either said evacuating means or the atmosphere; and k. driving means adapted to rotate said spindle.

Claim 10

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 7 including switch means responsive to pressures within said fluid communication means, said switch means being adapted to control the operation of said driving means whereby said driving means may be actuated only if the pressure in said evacuatable spacing is below a predetermined level.

Claim 11

A centrifuge in which a rotor is held in a chuck for spinning, comprising in combination a. a rotor, the base of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface and a central circular alignment surface; b. a chuck, the upper surface of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral chuck registration surface substantially corresponding in size to said rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface substantially corresponding in size and area to said downwardly inclined surface of said rotor base and defining therewith an evacuatable space, and a shallow central well corresponding in diameter to said central circular alignment surface of said rotor and defining with said disk an auxiliary evacuatable spacing in fluid communication with said evacuatable spacing; c. sealing means adapted to form a fluid tight seal between the peripheral registration surfaces of said rotor and said chuck; d. a rotatable spindle adapted to support and rotate said chuck and defining through its length an internal fluid passage opening at its top end into said auxiliary evacuatable spacing; e. housing means defining a fluid chamber around the bottom end of said spindle, in fluid communication with said internal fluid passage of said spindle and providing lower spindle bearing support means; f. rotary seal means within said fluid chamber; g. fluid communication means connecting said fluid chamber with said evacuating means and with the atmosphere; h. fluid flow control means in said fluid communication means and being adapted to connect said evacuatabLe space through said auxiliary evacuatable space, said internal fluid passage in said spindle, said fluid chamber and said fluid communication means with either said evacuating means or the atmosphere; i. motor means directly connected to said spindle and mounted thereon adapted to rotate said spindle; j. fan means mounted on said spindle above said motor means; and k. heavy-walled casing means defining motor/fan chamber means around said motor means and said fan means and chuck/rotor chamber means around said chuck and at least a portion of said rotor, said motor/fan and said chuck/rotor chamber means being separated by divider means serving as a support for upper spindle bearing means; said motor/fan chamber means having fluid inlet and fluid discharge ports.

Claim 12

A centrifuge in which a rotor is held in a chuck for spinning, comprising in combination a. a rotor, the base of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface and a central circular alignment surface; b. a chuck, the upper surface of which is contoured to have a flat peripheral chuck registration surface substantially corresponding in size to said rotor registration surface, a downwardly inclined surface substantially corresponding in size and area to said downwardly inclined surface of said rotor base and defining therewith an evacuatable space, and a shallow central well corresponding in diameter to said central circular alignment surface of said rotor and defining with said disk an auxiliary evacuatable spacing in fluid communication with said evacuatable spacing; c. sealing means adapted to form a fluid tight seal between the peripheral registration surfaces of said rotor and said chuck; d. a rotatable spindle adapted to support and rotate said chuck and defining through its length an internal fluid passage opening at its top end into said auxiliary evacuatable spacing; e. housing means defining a fluid chamber around the bottom end of said spindle, in fluid communication with said internal fluid passage of said spindle and providing lower spindle bearing support means; f. rotary seal means within said fluid chamber; g. fluid communication means connecting said fluid chamber with said evacuating means and with the atmosphere; h. fluid flow control means in said fluid communication means and being adapted to connect said evacuatabLe space through said auxiliary evacuatable space, said internal fluid passage in said spindle, said fluid chamber and said fluid communication means with either said evacuating means or the atmosphere; i. motor means directly connected to said spindle and mounted thereon adapted to rotate said spindle; j. fan means mounted on said spindle above said motor means; and k. heavy-walled casing means defining motor/fan chamber means around said motor means and said fan means and chuck/rotor chamber means around said chuck and at least a portion of said rotor, said motor/fan and said chuck/rotor chamber means being separated by divider means serving as a support for upper spindle bearing means; said motor/fan chamber means having fluid inlet and fluid discharge ports.

Claim 13

A centrifuge in accordance with claim 9 including switch means responsive to pressures within said communication means, said switch means being adapted to control the operation of said motor means whereby said motor means may be actuated only if the pressure in said evacuatable spacing is below a predetermined level.