Centrifuge indexing seal head assembly and method

Claim 2

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having inlet and outlet passages connecting with each of its cells, the improvement comprising: means rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages positioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of discrete positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells to selectively load and unload one rotor cell at a time while the rotor is spinning.

Claim 3

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having a plurality of inlet and outlet passageways communicating with each of the rotor cells, the improvement comprising: means rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages positioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of discrete positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells for selectively loading and unloading one rotor cell to the exclusion of the remaining cells while the rotor is spinning.

Claim 4

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having a plurality of inlet and outlet passageways communicating with each of the rotor cells, the improvement comprising: means rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages positioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of discrete positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells for selectively loading and unloading one rotor cell to the exclusion of the remaining cells while the rotor is spinning.

Claim 5

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having inlet and outlet passages connecting with each of its cells, and a fluid carrying conduit outside the rotor the improvement comprising: means rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages posItioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells for selectively connecting in sequence one rotor cell at a time in fluid communication with the fluid carrying conduit while the rotor is spinning whereby the rotor may be loaded and unloaded during rotor rotation.

Claim 6

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having inlet and outlet passages connecting with each of its cells, and a fluid carrying conduit outside the rotor the improvement comprising: means rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages posItioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells for selectively connecting in sequence one rotor cell at a time in fluid communication with the fluid carrying conduit while the rotor is spinning whereby the rotor may be loaded and unloaded during rotor rotation.

Claim 7

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having inlet and outlet passages connecting with each of its cells, and a fluid conduit located outside of the rotor, the improvement comprising: means coupled to and cooperating with the rotor, said means being rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages positioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells for selectively interconnecting in sequence each of the rotor cells to the fluid conduit outside the rotor while the rotor is spinning whereby each of the rotor cells may be loaded and unloaded without bringing the rotor to rest.

Claim 8

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor having inlet and outlet passages connecting with each of its cells, and a fluid conduit located outside of the rotor, the improvement comprising: means coupled to and cooperating with the rotor, said means being rotatable with said rotor and having at least a pair of fluid carrying passages positioned to communicate with the inlet and outlet passages of each cell, said means being movable to a multitude of positions for aligning its passages with said inlet and outlet passages of said rotor cells for selectively interconnecting in sequence each of the rotor cells to the fluid conduit outside the rotor while the rotor is spinning whereby each of the rotor cells may be loaded and unloaded without bringing the rotor to rest.

Claim 9

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor, a rotary seal assembly including a rotary seal member having at least one fluid carrying passageway carried by and normally rotatable with the rotor; the improvement comprising: an indexing assembly means connected to the rotary seal member for selectively interconnecting the fluid carrying passageway in the rotary seal member with one rotor cell at a time while the rotor is spinning whereby each cell may be loaded and unloaded without bringing the rotor to rest.

Claim 10

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor, a rotary seal assembly including a rotary seal member having at least one fluid carrying passageway carried by and normally rotatable with the rotor; the improvement comprising: an indexing assembly means connected to the rotary seal member for selectively interconnecting the fluid carrying passageway in the rotary seal member with one rotor cell at a time while the rotor is spinning whereby each cell may be loaded and unloaded without bringing the rotor to rest.

Claim 11

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor, each cell communicating with at least one fluid carrying passageway formed in the rotor, a rotary seal assembly including a rotary seal member normally rotatable with the rotor and having at least one fluid carrying passageway; the improvement comprising: a first member slideably secured to and rotatable with said rotary seal for interconnecting the fluid carrying passageway in the rotary seal with a rotor passageway associated with a rotor cell; and indexing means connected to said first member for indexing the first member and the rotary seal to register the rotary seal passageway in fluid communication with successive rotor cells while the rotor is spinning whereby the rotor cells may be loaded and unloaded without bringing the rotor to rest.

Claim 12

In a centrifuge including a multi-cell rotor, each cell communicating with at least one fluid carrying passageway formed in the rotor, a rotary seal assembly including a rotary seal member normally rotatable with the rotor and having at least one fluid carrying passageway; the improvement comprising: a first member slideably secured to and rotatable with said rotary seal for interconnecting the fluid carrying passageway in the rotary seal with a rotor passageway associated with a rotor cell; and indexing means connected to said first member for indexing the first member and the rotary seal to register the rotary seal passageway in fluid communication with successive rotor cells while the rotor is spinning whereby the rotor cells may be loaded and unloaded without bringing the rotor to rest.

Claim 13

An improvement as defined in claim 6 wherein said indexing means comprises means for momentarily retarding the rotational movement of the first member and the rotary seal member with respect to that of the rotor.

Claim 14

An improvement as defined in claim 6 wherein said indexing means comprises means for frictionally engaging the first member to momentarily retard the rotational movement of the first member and the rotary seal to cause the position of these latter elements to slip relative to the rotor.

Claim 15

An improvement as defined in claim 6 wherein said indexing means comprises a braking means for frictionally engaging the first member to momentarily retard the rotational movement of the first member and the rotary seal member causing the position of these latter elements to slip in a rotational direction relative to that of the rotor and means for vertically moving said first member with respect to said rotary seal member.

Claim 16

An improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein said vertically moving means comprises a second member movable vertically up and down and bearing means connected between said first and second members for translating vertical movement of said second member to said first member.

Claim 17

An improvement as defined in claim 10 wherein said first member comprises a first cylindrical shaped sleeve having a groove formed about the surface thereof and comprising a plurality of spaced upper and lower circumferentially extending segments, the ends of alternate ones of the circuMferentially extending segments being interconnected by vertically extending segments to form a continuous groove with one edge of each circumferentially extending segment corresponding to a rotor cell position and comprising in addition a lug member carried by a rotor housing and extending radially into the groove formed in the first member whereby upon activation of said braking means said lug member is caused to advance between adjacent vertically extending segments of said groove.

Claim 18

An improvement as defined in claim 11 wherein said second member comprises a second cylindrical shaped sleeve having a groove formed about the surface thereof, the geometrical configuration of the groove being identical with that of the groove formed in the first cylindrical sleeve so that one edge of each circumferentially extending segment corresponds to a rotor cell position, and said second cylindrical sleeve being selectively movable in a rotational direction to track the position of said first cylindrical sleeve.

Claim 19

An improvement as defined in claim 12 comprising in addition a stationary housing disposed about said second cylindrical shaped sleeve and a spherical ball bearing carried by the inside wall of said housing, said ball bearing cooperating with the groove formed in said second cylindrical sleeve to enable the latter sleeve to move both in rotational and vertical directions relative to said housing.

Claim 20

An improvement as defined in claim 13 wherein said housing includes at least one opening therein exposing a portion of said second cylindrical sleeve to provide easy access thereto.

Claim 21

An improvement as defined in claim 13 wherein said braking means comprises a brake shoe disposed intermediate said stationary housing and said first cylindrical sleeve; resilient means normally urging said brake shoe out of contact with said first sleeve; and, actuator means connected to said brake shoe and extending outside of said housing for momentarily urging said brake shoe into frictional engagement with said first sleeve.

Claim 22

An improvement as defined in claim 12 comprising in addition means connected to said rotary seal fluid passageway for transmitting sample through said passageway whereby selected rotor cells may be loaded while the rotor is spinning.

Claim 25

A method as defined in claim 17 wherein the indexing step comprises retarding the normal rotational movement of the cell selection mechanism relative to that of the rotor.

Claim 26

A method as defined in claim 17 comprising in addition repeating steps (2), (3) and (4) until all of the cells in the rotor are loaded.